


Ships in a Calm Sea

by Author_Person



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alpha Severus Snape, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Omega Harry Potter, Oral Sex, Spanking, Victim Blaming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:15:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 16
Words: 23,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26493244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Author_Person/pseuds/Author_Person
Summary: Severus Snape claims Harry Potter intending to use the boy as his plaything. It does not go as planned.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Comments: 20
Kudos: 472
Collections: Snarry 💜





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimers  
> Don’t own the characters, not making money.  
> Neither do I own the quote from Unseen Academicals 
> 
> ~~~~~~
> 
> “The interesting thing about ships is that the captains of ships have to be very careful when two ships are close together at sea, particularly in calm conditions. They tend to collide.”
> 
> “Because of the wind blowing, and that?”
> 
> “No. In fact, to put it simply, each ship shields the other ship from lateral waves on one side, so by small increments outside forces bring them together without their realizing it.”
> 
> Terry Pratchett  
> Unseen Academicals

He’s striding past the Gryffindors, making sure the idiots don’t blow themselves up with their pathetic attempts at brewing, when he smells it. He stops and turns toward the nearest pair and looms over them while they brew. He sneers at their pathetic potion in case they chance a glance at him and breathes deeply looking for the source of the scent. He needs to discretely send the student to the infirmary before anyone else notices what’s happening to them. It isn’t this pair and he moves on.

He’s starting to think he’ll not be able to locate the source among all the various scents in his classroom. He’s just about to give up and let another professor deal with the problem when he comes up on none other than Harry Potter. He sneers down at his cauldron and begins to berate the boy for his incompetence when he catches the scent again, strongly. He struggles to keep his face blank.

“Potter. Detention.”

“What? Why?”

“Ten points from Gryffindor for questioning a professor.”

He stares blank faced at the boy daring him to continue challenging his authority. The boy glares at him but remains silent. A good sign. Perhaps the boy is more tractable than he thought. But at any rate even if he isn’t it will be delightful breaking him.

He cannot wait.

~~~~~~

He finds himself counting down the seconds and planning how he’ll punish him if the boy is late. He arrives on time. He’s almost disappointed.

Potter trudges into the room looking sullen and angry, and also slightly feverish. He cancels the spell concealing the boy’s scent. It’s a good thing he remembered to cast that spell as they were leaving class. The scent would definitely have been caught by someone else otherwise and this glorious opportunity would have been taken from him.

“Potter. Your detention today will be a little different tonight. Follow me.”

He opens the door leading to his private quarters and waits for the infuriating boy to enter. As soon as he’s through the door he raises his wards preventing anyone from entering. Or leaving.

He smiles. This is going to be so very satisfying.

“Professor?”

The boy looks nervous. Delightful.

“Mr. Potter, do you know what an omega is?”

“No sir.”

So it’s true that he was muggle raised. He can’t believe his dorm mates failed to make crude jokes about the subject though. Probably too prudish, the little fools.

“You are.”

“What, sir?”

“You, Mr. Potter are an omega. An unmated omega, and you’re going into heat.”

“Heat, like, a dog?”

Now he’s starting to look scared. Severus has never been so hard before.

“Precisely.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Indeed?”

“Humans don’t...you can’t be serious?!”

He reaches out fast as a whip and grabs the boy by the neck. Gently gripping his mating gland. Potter goes weak at the knees and he almost has to hold him up.

“No! Stop! What’re you doing to me?!”

He crowds the boy against the wall, gently massaging his neck the while. He leans in and whispers in his ear, purring words he never thought he’d say.

“I’m claiming you.”

He pulls back and drinks in the horrified look on his face. He caresses his face with his other hand and lifts his chin so he has better access. Then kisses him full on the mouth. The boy remains close lipped for a moment so he rubs his mating gland more firmly and when the boy gasps he takes advantage. Claiming his mouth as surely as he’s going to claim the whole of him.

By the time he’s done the boy is gasping for breath and unable to support his own weight having gone so weak kneed. He greedily takes in the sight. He hasn’t even undone a single button of the boys uniform and he already looks debauched. Pupils blown wide, hair even messier than usual, leaning against the wall, his chest heaving. It’s a beautiful sight. He’s going to be revisiting this in a pensieve later. Maybe he’ll have Potter watch it with him.

He picks up the boy bridal style and carries him into his bedroom. He places him gently on the bed. He wonders momentarily at his own actions. He was planning on being rough with the little pest after all, but he supposes it’s only natural to treat such an occasion with reverence. He can be rough with him later when he’s earned himself a punishment. He suspects that will be a regular occurrence.

He begins slowly stripping off his own clothing. Watching the boy as he does so. He’s almost finished before the boy’s arousal clears enough for him to begin panicking about the situation he’s in. He finishes quickly and joins him on the bed before he can try and bolt.

“Professor please! I don’t want this!”

“Shh. You do want this, you just haven’t realized it yet.”

“No! I...”

“Shh. It doesn’t matter what you think you want. Your body needs this, and I am going to give it to you.”

He begins to unbutton Potter’s shirt, who promptly tries to scramble away from him. He holds the boy still and considers him. Quickly realizes that the boy is still a few hours away from a proper heat. Considers rubbing his mating gland until he’s too aroused to resist him and then proceeding to fuck him into a proper heat but then he has a better idea. The boy needs to learn his place after all.

He grips the boy more tightly with one hand so he doesn’t get any ideas and then reaches for his cock with the other. The boy’s eyes go wide as he strokes himself once, twice, and then collects some pre on his fingers. He places his fingers at the boy’s mouth.

“Lick.”

The boy refuses to open his mouth to argue and instead viciously shakes his head. He smirks at him and holds his fingers just under his nose. He’s breathing quickly in his panic and almost immediately he begins to slip further into his heat at the smell of a fertile alpha. After a long moment he touches his fingers to the boy’s mouth and the boy opens his mouth automatically, sucking them clean.

Gods! He’s going to enjoy training the boy to suck cock.

The boy seems to be heat-drunk enough now so that he won’t be struggling anymore, he begins stripping him of his clothes, and removes the boy’s glasses as well. Once he’s fully revealed he sits back to admire him. He’s delectable. He decided he wanted him purely so he could turn the annoying little walking headache into something that gives him pleasure, and as one last fuck you to James Potter, of course. But if he’d known what the boy was hiding under his robes he’d have wanted him for his body as well.

He spreads the boy’s legs and kneels between them taking his fill of the delectable sight. The boy is flushed and panting softly. His eyes are closed though and that won’t do. He looks too much like his father with those pretty green eyes hidden away. He reaches out and rubs his thumbs over the boy’s nipples making him groan quietly at the stimulation.

“Look at me.”

His eyes flutter open at once. They’re a bit glazed at this point and he wonders how out of it he is. He would have preferred him to be completely aware for this, but then he wouldn’t be in heat, would he? Ah well. It’ll be delightful when he comes back to full awareness later at any rate.

Now that he has as much of the boy’s attention as he’s going to get, he begins gliding his fingers over the planes and curves of his body. Exploring every inch. Discovering exactly where to touch to best tease gasps and groans from him. It isn’t long before the boy is writhing under him and he decides it’s time to take things further.

He gently eases a finger into his lovely arse and finds him dripping with slick. He eases in a second and then a third not long after. The boy’s eyes roll up into his head and he has to tap his finger between his eyes to get his attention.

“Look at me, little omega.”

“Professor.”

He slurs the word a little but Severus is still shocked he’s lucid enough to speak at all. Realizes he must not be as far gone as he thought. Realizes the boy is simply enjoying this, isn’t being forced to accept it because of his heat. He stares into the boy’s eyes for a moment and then kisses him again fervently.

“Call me Severus. Or alpha, if you prefer.”

The boy’s arse tightens around his fingers at that and he resumes stretching him. Decides to add a fourth for good measure. The boy is rather small and he doesn’t want to hurt him. He stills momentarily at that realization and wonders at himself.

He removes his fingers completely and the boy whimpers. He stares into his eyes as he lines himself up and gently, agonizingly slowly, pushes in. The boy’s eyes open wider and then he groans aloud and once again closes them. He bottoms out in the boy and finds himself groaning loudly at how sinfully tight he is. He pulls out halfway and then thrusts right back in with no gentleness to be found. The boy’s eyes snap open and once again he has his full attention. He begins thrusting with less force, wants to make this last as long as he can.

The boy clings to him and wraps his legs around his waist pulling him as deep as he can. He bends down and claims the boy’s lips once again. Pulls back and groans when the boy begins clenching his arse around him.

He can’t last much longer, the boy is just too much. He begins slamming his cock into him as hard as he can. Reaches down and wraps his hand around the boy’s small omega cock and strokes him in time with his thrusts. Just as the boy cries out and climaxes over his stomach his knot inflates, he shoves it home, and begins shooting his own seed deep into the beautiful boy. 

He leans forward and the boy automatically tilts his head to give him access. He smiles at that, and then bites his mating gland, claiming the boy for his own. When he leans back the boy looks blissed out. He wonders at the affection he already finds himself feeling at the sight him. Brushes it off as a temporary effect of the mating.

When he feels his knot go down enough to slip out he leans back, pulls the boy’s arse up so nothing will leak out, and grabs his wand from the bedside table. He conjures a plug and gently slides it into him. The boy squirms a bit and he soothes him with a few gentle touches. He cleans and dries the sheets under them with a quick wave of his wand and then tucks them both into bed for the night. He douses the lights with a whispered word. He’s just falling asleep when he feels the bed shift beside him and the boy wraps himself around him like a limpet. He sighs, and drowsily decides it isn’t worth arguing, the boy probably isn’t even awake enough to realize what he’s doing anyway. He drifts off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

He wakes warmer than usual and is confused for a moment and then the events of the night before come rushing to the forefront of his mind and he’s instantly alert.

The boy is sleeping still wrapped around him only he turned onto his side in the night and now they’re facing one another. He looks very different asleep. Now, seeing him asleep, he realizes that whilst awake the boy looks stressed. Like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He wonders if that will change considering the boy’s new situation.

He glances at the clock on the wall and decides he’d best wake the boy up since they need to talk.

“Harry.”

It feels weird on his tongue but he refuses to call him nothing but omega. He’s not that old fashioned and he doesn’t really want to demean the boy. At the moment anyway.

The boy’s eyes snap open and he looks extremely confused for a split second and then his eyes widen with horror and he yelps and tries to back away. He tightens his hold on the boy and puts as much authority as he can into his voice.

“Calm yourself, Harry.”

The boy stills and then slowly reaches down and behind him.

“What...what is this?”

He smirks before he can stop himself.

“It’s a buttplug.”

“Why?”

“It’s there to keep my seed from leaking out.”

“O-okay, but, why?”

He reaches out and gently ghosts his hand across the boy’s stomach.

“So that it has a greater chance to take of course.”

The boy gulps audibly and trembles just a little.

“You...you can’t mean...”

“Why else would you go into heat, my little omega?”

“What does that mean? Your omega?”

He reaches up and touches the mating bite on his neck and stares at him with pleading eyes. Begging him to explain. He knows he should be feeling delighted at how horrified the boy is but really he’s starting to feel bad for the boy.

“It means you belong to me. I own you and unlike, for instance the bond between a house elf and their master, it cannot be broken. You cannot stop being my omega as long as we both live. From now on you will be living with me. You will no longer be attending classes. No, don’t interrupt. It is too dangerous for you to attend a class such as potions or defense, or it would be if defense were being taught by a proper teacher who gave practical lessons. At any rate you may complete your education through self study. I am not particularly interested in having my omega be uneducated or unintelligent. And I honestly don’t care what you do in your free time so long as you don’t risk your health or the health of our child. Do you have any questions?”

“What about Voldemort?”

“You will not say that name again, you’ve no idea the potential consequences. To say that name _is_ to risk your health, understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. As far as the Dark Lord is concerned you are no longer a threat to him.”

“What? Why?”

“You are an omega. To consider you a threat would be to make himself look weak. You no longer need concern yourself with him.”

“But what about you? Don’t you need to spy on him for the Order?”

“I will be continuing to do so. The Dark Lord won’t care that you are my omega. He’ll just be happy you’re an omega at all. He’ll decide he made a mistake considering you a threat in the first place and will focus on other plans.”

The boy lays there looking thoughtful for a moment and then squirms a bit.

“Why don’t we go take a shower together, hm?”

The boy looks uncomfortable but then straightens his spine and nods once.

“Good.”

~~~~~~

He’s a bit jumpy at first, clearly unsure about being in such an intimate situation with him. Which is a bit amusing considering how very wanton he was only a few hours ago. Although this is, he supposes, a different sort of intimacy. The boy flinches a bit when he touches his back but then leans back into the touch. He licks across his claiming bite and the boy moans decadently. He chuckles softly at how delightfully responsive the boy is and then grasps the boy’s half-hard cock in his hand and strokes him until the boy comes gasping and slumps into his hold.

He’s tempted to shove the boy against the wall and take him again, but he’s probably still tender from last night, so he refrains. He gently eases the plug out of him and the boy thanks him quietly.

As soon as they’re out of the shower the boy becomes awkward once again. He calls his personal house elf and has her fetch the boy’s things from his dorm. Once dressed the boy seems to regain some of his former confidence.

He checks the time and sighs when he realizes they need to leave soon if they want to catch Albus before he heads to breakfast. While it might be fun to announce Harry’s change of status in front of the whole school himself, the boy would resent him for it. Better to let Albus explain to him what needs to happen and earn his ire. He finds himself wanting, bizarrely enough, to gain the boy’s trust. Madness.

He turns to the boy and finds him staring at his trunk looking lost and decides that that won’t do. He stalks toward him and pulls him gently into his arms. The boy allows it but his face screams how uncomfortable he is with the situation. He places one finger gently under the boy’s chin and tilts his face up.

“I’d like to kiss you.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Well, yeah, but why are you asking me? You didn’t ask me last night. You didn’t ask me if I wanted any of this! I didn’t! I don’t. I don’t want this.”

The boy sounds devastated. Gryffindors.

“I know you think that now. Shh. Listen. You think you don’t want this but if you truly didn’t want this you would’ve protested last night.”

“I did! I told you I didn’t want this last night and you wouldn’t listen!”

“Yes. You did, but then you melted under my touch. You allowed me to do whatever I wanted. You moaned and writhed like a common whore and if you’d not been out of your mind with lust I’ve no doubt you would’ve begged for my touch. Your lips say that you don’t want this but your body screams that you do. Did you protest when I wrapped my hand around your cock in the shower only minutes ago? Did you even think about saying no then?”

The boy is flushing now, whether with arousal or embarrassment he’s not sure. Perhaps both, it matters not.

“May I kiss you?”

The boy glares up at him.

“Why are you asking? Didn’t you say you owned me?”

Now the boy’s fire is back and he’s surprised to find himself happy to see it. There’s obviously something wrong with him. He’s had enough of this farce though. He grabs the boy’s chin, holds his face in a firm grasp, and claims his lips. He ravishes the boy until he’s gasping, hoping to kiss the fight out of the little brat.

When he pulls back the boy stands there panting but still glaring and he laughs delighted.

“If that’s how you want it, Harry then I shan’t ask again. From now on I’ll just take whatever I want from you whether you would or no. Is that what you want, hm? You want to be treated like an object? Like your opinions don’t matter? Perhaps I was wrong to compare you to a whore, perhaps you are in fact a slut. You want to be used so badly you don’t care who does so or how, is that right? Maybe I’ll give you that then, bring you to a back room at the Hogshead, tie you up and blindfold you. Let any man who wants to, use that slutty arse of yours until you can’t walk. Would you like that, Harry?”

The boy merely glares at him and he gives him an evil little smirk back. Let the boy wonder about whether he truly would, or will, do just that.

“Now we need to tell the Headmaster about your change of circumstance. Come.”

~~~~~~

When they enter Albus’ office the man greets them jovially, as always, and then gives them a knowing look over his half-moon glasses. He wonders what the old fool’s been playing at. He ought to have checked the boy’s classification and put him on blockers months ago. He cannot fathom why he wouldn’t have. The boy might easily have been claimed by the child of a death eater and what would Albus have done then? The man’s been mad for years but this is an unheard of level of idiocy. Considering the Vow, he’d have had to kill whatever bastard had claimed the boy, surely Albus must have realized _that_ at least? He pushes the thoughts away to deal with later. There’s no point speculating on the motives of a madman in any case.

“Harry went into heat yesterday evening and I claimed him.”

“That’s wonderful, my dear boys, I am so happy for you!”

“Indeed.”

He finds himself sneering at the disgustingly cheerful old man.

“I suppose you’ll be pulling him out of classes then, my boy?”

“Of course.”

The boy doesn’t look pleased about it, but he’s not arguing, so there’s that.

“Shall I make the announcement at breakfast then?”

“A-announcement?”

“Of course my boy! Everyone will need to know why you will no longer be attending classes. I’m sure all your friends will be delighted at the news. Do you know if there’s a little one on the way yet?”

The boy pales dramatically at that, perhaps because the entire school will soon know of his new situation, perhaps at the realization that he might already be pregnant. Severus finds himself enjoying a meeting with Albus for the first time.

“I haven’t checked, no.”

Severus quickly extracts his wand, points it at the boy, and performs the necessary charm. A soft purple glow surrounds the boy for a moment and Albus claps his hands together seemingly delighted.

“Wonderful, my dear boys! Shall I announce the happy event today as well?”

Severus glances uncertainly at the boy, he can’t place the blame for this on Albus if he makes the choice after all.

“Harry, would you like that, or would you rather wait?”

“You’re asking me?”

“Obviously.”

The boy flushes rather prettily.

“Might as well get it over with right? People will just keep asking until we tell them anyway.”

“Mm.”

“Shall we walk down to breakfast together then, my boys?”

Severus merely nods and they leave the office.

~~~~~~

As soon as they reach the Great Hall, Harry tries to wander off to the Gryffindor table, but he stops him with a gentle touch to the shoulder and shakes his head minutely. The boy sneers angrily but follows them to the Head table willingly enough.

Albus makes the announcement with his usual cheerfulness and Severus forces himself not to sneer, he doesn’t want anyone thinking he’s sneering at his new omega. Now that the boy is his he’ll not have anyone disparaging him.

The entire hall is filled with an absolute roar of heated exclamations. Everyone is shocked and no doubt a great many of them are jealous and angry that he got there first. He remains blank faced, though he’s smirking internally. He can’t resist rubbing it in a little though and rests his hand on Harry’s neck and ghosts his hand over his claim.

He looks at his own house table and gives them all a look, making sure they know how very off limits his omega is. Then he glances at the other house tables one by one to make sure they’re all properly cowed. He’s a bit unnerved by the youngest Weasley boy’s glare. That one will be trouble. He snorts when he sees the confused look on Granger’s face.

The boy is quiet during breakfast, barely responding to Hagrid's attempts to engage him. Hagrid doesn’t seem to notice, too busy prattling on about some new monster that’s just been foaled. Severus tunes him out after a bit. He usually tolerates the half-giant better, but then again he’s usually not so enthusiastic. It’s probably the boy’s presence, he seems to bring that out in people. He can’t wait till the day is over and he can have his wicked way with the boy yet again. The knowledge that he’s already gotten him pregnant is going to make this day drag on endlessly. He wants him now, if only it was the weekend.

They’re just leaving the hall when he hears Umbridge clearing her throat behind him. He wants to snarl at her, as always. He begins mentally listing the various poisons he’d like to use on her and turns to acknowledge her.

“I wanted to congratulate you on your good fortune, you have such a lovely omega, even if it is a bit willful.”

“Thank you, Dolores.”

He stares at her blank faced for a moment, squeezing Harry’s arm before he can say something insulting in return, and then they turn and leave.

They’re about halfway to the dungeons when the boy’s friends catch up to them and confront him. He merely stares blank faced at the Weasley boy while he rages at him. Glancing every once in a while at Granger who now looks like she’s going to be sick. Apparently someone enlightened her of whatever details she’d been unaware of before. And yes, now she starts in on how awful he is for taking advantage of a student like this. Sentimental Gryffindors. They finally run out of breath and look at him expectantly, waiting for him to take points and assign detentions no doubt. He ignores them and turns to Harry.

“I have no doubt you’d like to visit with your friends later. While I would not normally tolerate students in my private rooms, I understand that you are going through a major upheaval and could use their support. Therefore I will allow it, and will continue to allow it so long as they behave themselves while they are within our quarters.”

He gives the boy a look letting him know it’s on him to make them accept this new arrangement. He’ll not be apologizing for his actions, nor will he be bothering to act repentant. The boy nods his head, seemingly grateful for his allowing as much as he is. He should be.

“I’ll see you guys later, alright? No, Hermione, you’re gonna be late for class. I’ll see you after your last class, okay?”

They go through the motions of saying goodbye and Granger hugs the boy while giving him a challenging look. He ignores that as well. Honestly, she reminds him of Lily sometimes, if only she wasn’t such an obnoxious know-it-all he might actually like the girl.


	3. Chapter 3

When they reach their quarters the boy just stands there and he has to guide him to sit on the couch.

“These rooms are as much your home as mine now, within reason of course, if I come back after classes later to find you’ve rearranged the furniture I’ll not be best pleased.”

That startles the boy enough that he gapes up at him.

“Did you just make a joke?”

“Indeed. Now stop looking so depressed. You will still get to see your friends and former house mates every day if you like, you’ll still be learning everything you would have learned in classes. You won’t have to put up with Umbridge anymore.”

“Yeah, what was that earlier?”

“Hm?”

“You just stood there and let her insult me. You wouldn’t even let me defend myself! Why? I know you hate me, but you hate her too, right? Why not let me defend myself?”

“I do not hate you.”

The boy snorts disbelievingly.

“I do not hate you, you drive me absolutely mad, but I do not hate you. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep you safe when you’re constantly sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong? You insist on rushing headfirst into danger you have no business being anywhere near. You are infuriating. How many times have you almost died? Do you even know at this point or have you lost count?”

The boy shifts guiltily.

“Precisely. As far as Umbridge is concerned, I would poison her in an instant if I wouldn’t be suspected immediately. But since we have no choice but to endure her continued existence it would be unwise to anger her. As of now she will no longer bother you. As far as the world is concerned you are my property and not worth their time, except as in so far as a great many people would prefer you to belong to them instead. I have no doubt there will be a fair few attempts on my life in the future. On that note, do not, under any circumstances, open any mail that I have not yet checked for curses or other dangers. When we have a convenient moment I shall begin teaching you how to check our mail yourself but for now you will just have to wait for me to do so.”

“You keep saying that I’m your property, but you aren’t treating me like that. Why?”

He considers the boy for a moment. Wondering if he really does want to be treated like an object. Is he worried or aroused by the idea? Hm.

“Do you dictate your owls every moment? Do you tell her when to eat and when to sleep? Do you open the window but forbid her to fly just to see if she’ll obey you?”

“Fine. I get it.”

“No. I don’t think you do. I know that you don’t treat your owl that way, that’s not what I’m truly asking. I’m asking if that’s what you want. Do you want to be treated like an object? I noticed earlier that Draco Malfoy looked quite jealous at my having claimed you, I have no doubt he would relish the chance to use you for his pleasure without a care for how you felt about it or whether you felt any pleasure in return. Shall I invite him to do so this weekend? Would you like that? It’s not like I have to worry about him putting a baby in you, since I’ve already taken care of that myself. If you want that you need merely ask, unless of course you’re too ashamed of your desires to ask. Perhaps I shall have to make the choice for you. At any rate if you want to be treated like an object I have no problem doing so at times, but I have no interest in dictating your every action. If you’re hoping for that I fear you’ll be disappointed.”

“I, you, Malfoy, you’d really let him do...that? You, you seemed pretty possessive earlier.”

“Of course, if I hadn’t staked my claim in such a way there would have been those who would’ve taken it as read that they were allowed to use you whenever and however they felt like it. The key difference here is that I would be allowing Draco to use you, I would be watching him use you, he would be doing so with my blessing only.”

“But, but if I said no, you wouldn’t, right?”

“Are you saying no?”

“Yes, I don’t want to be with Malfoy like that.”

“You don’t sound very convincing. But this discussion will have to be postponed for now. You may not have classes today but I do.”

“Yeah, shouldn’t you already be teaching?”

“I posted a note on the door while you were getting dressed this morning, they’re doing a quiz right now, but I do need to go oversee them. I just wanted to make sure you were settled in properly first. So to recap, this is your home too, you are to continue your studies, and do not do anything foolish. Also you are welcome to read any of the books in the library but if you breathe a word about the darker tomes within it to anyone without my permission I will make you regret it. And no practicing dangerous spells without my supervision. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I already told you not to call me sir, I am no longer your professor. Severus will do.”

“Right, Severus, I, thank you.”

“For what?”

The boy merely shrugs his shoulders awkwardly. He looks at him for a moment but then simply leaves. He really does need to see to his students before the little idiots get it into their heads to do something especially idiotic.

~~~~~~

The brats are even more obnoxious than usual that day. Constantly whispering to each other and glancing at him. He’s never had so many near explosions in one day. Or taken so many points.

When the day ends he breathes a sigh of relief, he can’t wait till dinner is over and he can go back to his quarters and use his little omega again. Then he remembers that the boy’s friends will be invading his home tonight and he scowls. Why did he suggest such a thing? He berates himself for his weakness, for treating the boy so gently, all throughout dinner.

The entire time the boy’s friends are there he more or less ignores them. He sits grading papers while they converse quietly on the other side of the room. Every once in a while he darts a glance their way. Granger looks concerned and Weasley angry, nothing new there, Harry looks calm though. Suspicious that. He really has taken all of this much calmer than he expected. He may be simply trying to reassure his friends, their worry won’t change the situation after all and he may not want to deal with their worries on top of his own. Or he may be bottling his feelings up and will explode with anger later. He’ll have to watch him closely for the next few days. Not exactly a hardship that.

He finishes the marking and decides he’s wasted enough of their limited time together, and kicks the other two out. Politely of course, but firmly.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry looks at him and he can almost see his heart rate pick up, the boy knows very well what is coming. He stalks toward him with purpose. The boy backs up a step but then stiffens his spine.

“No.”

“No, what?”

“I don’t want...”

“Don’t want what?”

The boy glares at him.

“I don’t want to have sex with you.”

He standing close enough to touch by that point. So he does. He traces his jawline and then drags his fingers gently down the boy’s throat being careful not to touch his claim, he wants the boy to admit he wants this, doesn’t want the boy thinking he’s only giving in because he exploited his weakest point. The boy tightens his jaw stubbornly and he begins to suspect he might not give in at all tonight. He doesn’t want to force him, but if that’s what it takes...

“Come.”

He turns to go to the bedroom, not waiting to see if the boy will listen. He has to know he’ll make him regret it if he disobeys.

When he turns around the boy has followed and he gives him a pleased look. Positive reinforcement and all that. He takes and pulls the boy gently toward the bed. The boy looks like he wants to bolt but lets himself be pulled down onto the edge next to him. He sits and observes the boy until he starts to squirm.

“You are no longer in heat. You will not be in heat for a good long while. Did your friends discuss the subject with you?”

“A little. Ron said, he said I can get pregnant again even while I’m still nursing, that some alphas keep their omegas pregnant all the time. I don’t want that. I don’t want to have babies only for them to be given away, or sold, or...”

“That won’t happen.”

“Really?”

“As soon as you give birth I will put a charm on you that will prevent you becoming pregnant again. It means you will experience heats every few months but you will not be able to get pregnant even then. If you decide you want another child and think you are ready for that we will discuss it at that time”

“Ron thought you’d probably have other men pay to get me pregnant and they’d keep my babies, he couldn’t understand, _I_ don’t understand, why you’d get me pregnant in the first place otherwise, you could’ve put the charm on me last night. Why didn’t you?!”

He wants to tell him it was a particularly vicious revenge on his dead father. That he loved the idea of knocking up James Potter’s son so much he couldn’t resist. And if he were to be completely honest that was there, in the background. Mostly, he just, has wanted a child for a while now. He doesn’t want to admit that to the brat, cannot bring himself to say it aloud, but also finds himself strangely unwilling to lie. He can’t say it aloud but...He looks into those green, green eyes and then surges forward and kisses him.

Harry surprises him by kissing him back, hesitantly at first, but he soon gains confidence. He pulls back and places his hands on the top button of Harry’s shirt and waits for either a denial, or an affirmation. Harry nods at him nervously and he begins stripping him of his clothes while kissing him breathless.

Once they’re both stripped bare he finds Harry staring at his cock.

“It’s so big.”

“Why thank you, Mr. Potter.”

Harry gives him a bland look and he chuckles at the boy.

“It’s just, I’m so small, I mean I’ve caught glimpses of the other boy’s but I just, I thought I’d grow eventually, but there’s no way I’ll ever be _that_ size...”

He places his finger on the boy’s lip to stop the flow of nonsense.

“You are an omega. It’s nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about, and your cock, while small is still lovely.”

He begins to drag his fingers up and down said cock with teasing touches and then grips it properly and begins stroking the boy.

“I think it’s perfect. I think _you_ are perfect.”

He imagines the boy would give him a doubtful look if he wasn’t busy avoiding looking at him at all. He reaches out with his other hand and glides it over the flat plane of the boy’s stomach.

He finds himself wanting to whisper sweet nothings in his ear about how beautiful he will look swelled with their child. Instead he simply stares into Harry’s eyes, which locked onto his the moment he touched his stomach, seeming to read the thoughts out of his mind as if _he_ were the legilimens.

“I want to fuck you, may I?”

Harry gives him a complicated look, so many emotions and thoughts warring behind his eyes that he has no hope of knowing what the boy is thinking or feeling even, he suspects, with the use of legilimency.

“Okay.”

He kisses him in response, and since the boy admitted of his own free will that he wants this, he brushes kisses down his neck and then begins laving his claim with his tongue. The boy gasps and he pulls back so he can see the flush of arousal. He bends down once more and this time he sucks gently on the gland and drinks in the sound of the boy’s ragged moan.

He releases the boy’s cock, making the boy whine quietly, and thrust futilely at the air. He gentles him with a hand on his side and presses a finger into his arse. The boy’s eyes snap open and focus on him, a look of confusion on his face.

“What?”

“I just, it felt different last night?”

“You were in heat then, you aren’t now, it will take a bit longer to get there, but it will be just as pleasurable by the time we’re done, I assure you.”

He’s up to three fingers now and just adding a fourth, when he brushes the boy’s prostate. The boy gasps and he chuckles and rubs it for a moment.

He judges the boy to be sufficiently prepped and removes his fingers. The boy looks nervous now and he gentles him once again as he places the head of his cock at his entrance. The boy is staring at his cock and he waits for the boy to lock eyes with him before once again breaching his tight hole. It’s even more glorious the second time. Because this time the boy asked for it. This time they both wanted this, and this time the boy’s eyes are boring into his own. He groans aloud and watches as the boy’s pupils widen in response.

He begins thrusting gently at first and then harsher and faster until he’s slamming into the boy hard enough to bruise, and the boy begins rising up to meet his thrusts. He slows down for a moment to delay his climax and also to tease the boy, who whines in response. He chuckles and pinches the boy’s nipples gently and the boy gasps and climaxes underneath him. The boy’s arse clenches so deliciously as he climaxes that he finds himself about to follow and slams his inflating knot into the boy’s arse. He lays there panting above the boy, slowly rutting his knotted cock into the boy. Loving the feel of it.

When the boy begins to protest the overstimulation he rolls them onto their sides and sighs when the boy once again cuddles close.

“I don’t want to be used by Malfoy. Or anyone else.”

“When I said we’d resume the subject later, I did not mean later today.”

“I know but, I just, I don’t want that, I don’t.”

“And you know this, how?”

“What?”

“Did you seriously consider the prospect? Did you sit and think of what it would be like to have an entire group of men use your body for their pleasure while you are blindfolded and tied up helpless to stop it? Or not helpless but a willing enthusiastic participant? Did you think of yourself in a situation like that and not find yourself becoming aroused by it? Or did you refuse to even consider it for a moment?”

“I didn’t need to...”

“How do you know you are not interested?”

“I just _know_! I don’t need to think about it!”

“And yet when I describe such a situation to you, your cock twitches in response.”

“That, that doesn’t mean anything! I don’t want that!”

“Indeed.”

“You don’t believe me, why don’t you believe me?”

“Shh, calm yourself. I am not interested in raping you, nor in having someone else do so. If you truly do not wish for others to touch you, they will not touch you. I will only ever invite others to do so if you yourself ask for it, alright?”

“I still say I’m not interested, but fine.”

“Good. Now I’m going to assume you’d rather not spend the night plugged?”

“No. Definitely not.”

“Then I shall plug you only for as long as it takes for us to get into the shower.”

“You shower twice a day?”

“Not normally no, but it’s the most pleasant way to empty the seed from your arse.”

The boy blushes at that.

“There’s a spell that would take care of it, but it is apparently an unpleasant sensation. We can take a bath if you’d prefer.”

“Okay, but you don’t have to bathe with me.”

“I know. I want to.”

Harry doesn’t reply to that, merely blushes again. He holds out the plug he’d just conjured before the boy could accidentally dislodge his knot and make more of a mess than they already had of the bed.

~~~~~~

As they bathed he found himself chatting with the boy about his day, and chuckling over the foolishness of the Weasley boy who apparently spent the day planning how to murder him to free the boy from his evil clutches. Harry seemed to find the idea ridiculous as well and stared in wonder when he laughed.

When they’re done the boy starts to climb out, but he stops him before he can. He has him sit on the edge of the tub and spread his legs wide. The boy becomes bashful yet again and won’t make eye contact but keeps darting glances at him, apparently wondering what he’s up to.

He kneels between his spread legs and ghosts a touch along the boy’s cock. The boy startles and stares down at him and he stares right back as he licks a stripe along his cock. It doesn’t take long for his cock to harden fully, and once it does he takes it into his mouth and begins sucking gently. He runs his tongue under the edge of the boy’s foreskin and the boy moans aloud and closes his eyes. He pulls his cock deeper into his mouth and backs off again while sucking firmly. He can tell the boy is close already so he sucks him down to the root so that the boy’s cock is in his throat and hums around it. It pushes him over the edge and he pulls back until just the head is in his mouth and then lets him fill his mouth with the last spurts of his seed.

He waits for the boy to open his eyes and once he has his attention, he swallows. Then he surges forward and catches the boy lips with his own. Kissing him deeply, he wants him to taste himself on his tongue. When he pulls back the boy is staring at him with an intensity he’s never seen before even when they were furious with one another. Like he’s never truly seen him till now. Perhaps he hasn’t. Perhaps neither of them have truly seen the other before.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days pass in a similar vein. Harry self studies while he teaches classes and in the evening Harry visits with his friends while he does his marking. After the second time he kicks the boy’s friends out the moment he’s done marking the boy takes the hint and begins encouraging them to leave when he sees he’s almost done.

Harry still has to be gently coaxed into any intimacy but is quickly becoming less reluctant at least.

Now it is Friday morning and they need to discuss what the weekend will entail so he can warn his friends later this evening.

“Harry.”

The boy’s eyes flutter open and he yawns widely, and then smiles at him lazily before seemingly remembering himself. Now he just looks awkward.

“Tomorrow is Saturday and I take it you would like to spend time with your friends?”

The boy nods, looking confused.

“That is fine but we need to go over your new schedule for the weekend.”

“Schedule?”

“Indeed. In case it has slipped your attention we’ve not put aside time for you to learn dangerous spells that I need to be here for you to practice.”

“That because we've been having sex constantly.”

“Is that a complaint?”

“Well no, but..”

“Well then, as I was saying. We’ll devote two hours each day of the weekend to your studies and we will have to schedule those at specific times so they don’t interfere with any staff meetings I need to attend. Other than that you may spend the rest of the weekend with your friends but you will be expected to be here at a reasonable hour in the evenings.”

“For more sex?”

“Of course.”

“Are we ever going to do anything together that isn’t sex?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I, well, I don’t know, something.”

“How eloquent Mr. Potter.”

“Shut it you.”

“How about dinner?”

“What about it?”

“Sunday evening you and I will go out and have dinner together, Is that what you had in mind?”

“I think I’d like that, yeah.”

“Sentimental Gryffindors.”

“Oi!”

“Shush you, and let’s go shower.”

~~~~~~

Saturday morning he woke up to find the bed empty of his green eyed imp. He reached over and the bed wasn’t even warm. He started to get up but before he’d sat up completely the boy came into the room, practically bouncing on his toes.

“Guess what?”

“No.”

“Fine. Be like that then, here.”

The boy holds out a box, a gift box. With a bow. Severus stares at him. He knows he’s staring but he can’t seem to stop.

“You got me a gift.”

“Yup. Open it.”

“Why did you get me a gift?”

“Because I wanted to, you git. If you’re not gonna open it at least _take_ it.”

Severus takes the box, and then he opens it. It contains a thin band of black leather. He’s never been so astonished in his life.

“A bracelet?”

“Well, yeah, I know. You wearing jewelry, how weird is that, but Ron told me about them and I just had to get you one. If you don’t want to wear it, I understand, I just, I thought you might like it.”

“Stop babbling and explain what makes it special, brat.”

“Oh, when you put it on you’ll be able to feel our baby’s heartbeat, so you’ll always know that the baby is fine wherever you are. Or at least once the baby has a heartbeat. I know it won’t have one yet, but..”

He shuts the boy up by kissing him. It’s the only effective method really, and anyway, he couldn’t not kiss him after that. The boy melts into the kiss and he finds himself with a lap full of Gryffindor boy. He decides that’s a decent way to spend a morning and keeps him there for a good long while.

He doesn’t wear the bracelet but only because it currently lacks the heartbeat that makes it so appealing. He will as soon as he’s able. No one will see it under his long sleeves, no one other than Harry need ever know.

~~~~~~

Saturday evening he’s sitting rereading an old potions book searching for a specific potion that he knows will help him with the potion he’s currently attempting to create if he can only find it. He’s already checked almost a dozen books in the past two hours. He’d give up for the night but since Harry is still out with his friends he doesn’t exactly have anything better to do. He grumbles to himself and flips quickly through a few more useless pages, and finds it. A potion to temporarily improve one’s eyesight. Perfect.

An hour later he’s scribbling away in a journal trying to account for every variable when Harry strolls in looking windswept and carrying his broom.

“Have fun?”

“Not nearly as much fun as you, clearly. Are you going back out?”

“No. I told them I was tired and wanted a night in.”

“Oh, did you have anything in mind for the evening?”

“Yup.”

He finds himself once again with a lap full of Gryffindor boy. He decides he’ll work on the potion more tomorrow.

He lifts the boy and carries him to bed, but before he can put him down on it the boy stops him.

“I wanted to...if you could put me down?”

Once the boy is on his feet he blushes and then kneels down.

“Ah, are you sure?”

“Not really? I mean I know I want to try, but I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ll probably be pants at it just to warn you.”

“It is one of those things you can only learn by doing. I don’t expect you to be an expert. I’d have to wonder if you were.”

“Git.”

Severus strips and then sits on the edge of the bed. Harry starts to move closer but he stops him.

“You’re much too overdressed, Harry.”

He watches as Harry awkwardly strips out of his clothing and then kneels between his legs. He looks up at him, and no doubt following his own example, maintains eye contact while gently dragging his fingers along his cock. He watches greedily as the boy licks his cock from root to tip and then sucks the tip into his mouth. He licks and gently sucks at the tip before trying to take it further into his mouth and Severus reaches down and makes him stop before he can choke himself. The boy looks up at him, seems to think he did something wrong. He quickly reassures him.

“You’re doing very good, Harry, but my cock is much too large for you to deepthroat comfortably. I don’t want you to choke on it. Just don’t take more than you can handle for now, alright?”

The boy nods as best he can with a mouth full of cock and then begins sucking more vigorously. He slips his tongue under the edge of his foreskin and then begins slipping more of his cock into his mouth. He backs off and then goes down a few times in quick succession going a little farther each time and before Severus realizes what he’s going to do he does in fact deepthroat him. He lasts about two seconds before he gags and has to pull off completely and catch his breath.

“How do you do that?”

“It takes practice.”

The boy gives him a skeptical look and sucks his cock down again, but doesn’t try deepthroating him again. When he climaxes the boy tries to swallow all of it, but ends up with a fair bit streaking down his chin and then dripping onto his legs. He looks a bit sheepish about the mess but also pleased to have made him climax. He drags him into the bed, licks him clean, and returns the favor.

As they’re settling into bed, the boy snuggling up to him like always, he whispers into his ear.

“Don’t think this gets you out of having sex.”

“What?”

“When we wake, I’m going to bend you over and fuck you till you can’t walk straight.”

“I feel like that was supposed to be a threat but I don’t feel threatened at _all_.”

“Brat.”

He just drifting off to sleep when he hears the little imp whisper back.

“Git.”


	6. Chapter 6

Sunday morning, after he fucks the boy so hard he literally couldn’t walk, and they’d bathed together, they ate breakfast in their quarters. Harry admitted he probably couldn’t walk all that way just yet, and sitting on a wooden chair for an hour immediately after that thorough fucking would be torture. While they were eating he teased the boy about what excuse he’d give his friends for missing breakfast in the Great Hall, just so he could watch him squirm.

After the brat left he returned to his new project. After a few hours of cross referencing different books and debating the merits of different potential brewing processes, he’d come up with a potentially viable solution. He left a note in case the imp came back early, he wouldn’t let him step foot in the lab now that he was pregnant, and retreated to his lab to brew.

The first attempt did not go as planned, and he had to revise his method before he could make another attempt. Five hours later he still hadn’t quite worked it out, but he’d made significant progress and was now fairly confident he’d have it brewed by his self imposed deadline.

He went to shower before the imp returned only to find him sitting on the couch reading.

“How long have you been waiting?”

“Not long.”

“I’ve been brewing and no doubt stink of potions fumes, I’m going to go shower before we leave for dinner.”

“Did you want me to come with?”

“Do you want to?”

“Yes, I’d like to.”

“Then come.”

They showered together and the only intimacy they shared in the process was a simple kiss. He found himself enjoying it just as much in spite of that.

~~~~~~

When they got out of the shower he stopped Harry before he could get dressed and told him to put on muggle clothes instead of robes.

The boy stiffened and turned to him with a very disconcerted look.

“What is it?”

“I..I don’t...my family never...”

“Harry, calm down, breathe. Now. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t have any nice muggle clothes, the only clothes I’ve ever had belonged to my cousin and he...just. I don’t have nice clothes.”

“You never bought any with your own money?”

“I never had the opportunity! It’s always, ‘you have to go back to the Dursley’s’ and then either I’m with the Weasley’s or at Grimmauld and, oh god Sirius! I never told Sirius about this! He’s going to try and kill you when he finds out.”

“He may _try_.”

“Well I don’t want you to kill him anymore than I want him to kill you!”

“Then I won’t kill the mutt. Calm down. You can write to him later, all right?”

“I, yeah, but what am I going to wear?”

“You’re about Draco’s size.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“Oh?”

"He wouldn’t even have muggle clothes!”

“He’ll have trousers and shirts that aren’t part of his uniform. Have you never noticed what he wears on the weekends?”

“I don’t pay attention to what he wears, he probably thinks I should though, stuck up pompous prat.”

“Indeed.”

He call his house elf and has her fetch some of Draco’s clothing.

“He won’t even notice it’s missing, just put it on.”

“And if he sees us walking out of the castle like this?”

“We’ll be flooing, now put it on. Next Saturday we will set aside some time to take you shopping, so you won’t have to worry about this happening again.”

“Fine.”

“Don’t pout.”

“I’m not pouting.”

“Mmhm.”

“Git.”

~~~~~~

He takes the boy to one of his favorite restaurants, a small authentic Chinese restaurant, operated out of the family’s home. Known only by word of mouth and with only five tables. He’s glad he decided to call in a favor to get a reservation when he sees how much the boy enjoys it.

It’s an intimate candlelit dinner and though he felt ridiculous when he first thought of this place, Harry doesn’t seem off-put by the intimacy. Harry’s beginning to treat him like a lover and he can’t help but reciprocate.

While they’re eating dessert he feels the boy slide his foot up the back of his calf.

“Behave yourself, you brat.”

“Why should I?”

“Because if you continue on like that I might just bend you over the table and take you right here.”

The boy doesn’t stop and he finds himself wondering again if the boy isn’t unknowingly an exhibitionist. He ignores his wandering foot even when he places it in his lap.

When they get back home he decides to give him a taste of his own medicine, and instead of the pounding the boy is no doubt expecting, he fucks him gently. He drags his cock out as slowly as he possibly can before trusting it back inside just as painstakingly slowly. Driving the boy mad in the process. Harry is writhing under him and begging him to go faster before he finally elects to be merciful and fucks him into the mattress.

They fall asleep still knotted together.


	7. Chapter 7

By Monday morning he’d forgotten all about the boy’s plan to write the mutt. He’s reminded Monday afternoon by the sudden arrival in his classroom of a large black dog. He hits him with an incarcerous before he can even attempt to attack him and sneers down at him.

“Apparently someone let their familiar get away from them.”

He’s teaching his NEWT class so he simply tells them to get on with it and that he will be back shortly. He floats the mutt into his private rooms and drops him none-too-gently on the floor in front of Harry. Who jumps off the couch when he sees what’s happening, turns horrified eyes onto Severus, and rushes over to stand right in front of him.

“I’m so sorry! I told him not to do anything stupid!”

“He seems to have an unusual definition of that word.”

The mutt growls angrily.

“Apparently. I’ll talk some sense into him, but are you alright? He didn’t hurt you?”

“Shh, I’m fine, he never got near me, you know me better than that.”

“I know. I just, I worry about you.”

Before he can reassure the boy further Harry claims his lips in a kiss and then shoos him back to his class. He goes willingly, the brat can attempt to reason with the mutt all he likes, but he’ll be keeping one eye on the door to his quarters today to make sure Black doesn’t do any other stupid things.

~~~~~~

When he gets done for the day he opens his door with one hand on his wand just in case. Black is back to being as human as he ever gets, and lounging on his couch as if he owns the place. He’s rather hoping he’ll give him an excuse to hex him.

Harry however is nowhere in sight. He looks at Black suspiciously but he looks dejected so apparently Harry’s absence isn’t Black’s doing.

“Brat.”

Black looks furious at that but before he can say or do anything stupid, thereby giving him the excuse he needs, Harry comes bounding back into the room.

“Severus! I was just telling Sirius about our dinner yesterday.”

He finds himself with a pair of arms wrapped around him and feels a discrete hand push his hand away from his wand. The boy kisses him very enthusiastically and then drags him over and tries to have him sit on the couch where Black is. He sits on the chair nearby instead.

“I was going to sit between you, but fine, you git.”

And he sits on Severus’ lap. He’s tempted to roll his eyes. The boy couldn’t be more obvious if he tried.

“Did you manage to talk some smidgen of sense into your lovely godfather.”

“I swear sniv..”

“Sirius!”

“Sorry pup, I just, how can you be okay with this? You said it yourself, you didn’t want this, that’s called rape, he raped you and you’re just what, going to ignore that?!”

“Sirius, is Remus your omega or not?”

“You know the answer to that, pup.”

“Then you should know exactly why I’m accepting this.”

“Because you can’t break the bond while he’s alive, I know. But that isn’t as much of a barrier as you’re making it out to be.”

“Sirius don’t even talk like that!”

“Pup...”

“No! You _will_ listen to me and you will accept what I say. I want this. I didn’t before, no. But I do now. I...Severus do you mind if tell him about the gift I got you?”

He can’t believe he’s even considering it, how soft has he gone already that he hates the idea of denying him even this? It hasn’t even been two weeks! Is this how every bonded alpha feels? He needs to talk to Lucius. Gods, he’s going to regret this he just knows it. Damn everything.

“Fine.”

“I talked to Ron about the situation ‘cause he knows all about omegas and everything and he told me about these bracelets that let you feel the baby’s heartbeat all the time and, and I got one for Severus, because he wants this baby Sirius, if he just wanted to fuck me because I was James Potter’s son he could’ve done so without getting me pregnant.”

“How do you know he isn’t one of those alpha’s who..?”

“Because he told me he wasn’t and I believe him.”

“Why? Why would you believe him, pup?”

“Because after that first time he’s always made sure we didn’t do anything I didn’t want to do. Think about what might’ve happened if he hadn’t claimed me, Sirius! I could’ve ended up with a wannabe death eater! Or just some arsehole who doesn’t care about me.”

“And he does?”

Instead of answering Harry turns to him. He can see the knowledge of how much he truly does care in the boy’s eyes, he’s not unsure, he just wants him to say it.

“Damn you, you brat, you know I do.”

The boy beams at him and kisses him again even more passionately than usual. It might even have been worth the embarrassment, to be kissed like that, and in front of the gaping mutt, too.

“The person you should be angry at Sirius, is Dumbledore.”

“What? _Why_?”

“He never tested me to find out my classification as far as I know, or he did test me and just didn’t care. Either way he was negligent. I didn’t know what an omega was until that night.”

“But he, you, you really could’ve ended up with a death eater! What the fuck was he thinking?!”

“I’ve no idea Black, don’t look at me like that, the man’s been half-mad for years. This is just yet more evidence of it.”

“Well. I am going to give him a piece of my mind.”

“By all means, Black.”

“Sirius wait!”

“Yeah, pup?”

The boy jumps up and hugs his godfather before he can transform and whispers harshly in his ear loud enough for Severus to hear.

“Promise, you won’t try and hurt Severus?”

“Are you sure this is what you want, pup?”

“Yes.”

“Then I promise, but if I die first, when James asks me what I was thinking allowing this, I’m putting all the blame on you. Just so you know.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Snuffles.”

He lets the mutt out the door and wanders back over and plops himself right back down in his lap like there’s no place he’d rather be. 

“How do you think he’ll get into the Headmaster’s office?”

“I doubt he’s thought that far ahead, do you want to go and accompany him?”

“No, he can always wait until dinner and follow him from there. I’d rather stay right here.”

“If you don’t stop wiggling we’ll end up missing dinner.”

“I’m not particularly hungry, you?”

“We could have dinner brought to us later.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Harry drags him into the bedroom and practically tears his clothes off him.

“You know, I would like to know why, after I left you with the mutt hours ago with the understanding that you would talk some sense into him, you didn’t seem to have made any progress by the time I got back, hm?”

“Well no, I had not made progress, but not for lack of trying. I love Sirius, I really do, but my god that man is completely irrational when it comes to you. Every time I’d try to talk about us being together I’d find myself having to calm him down all over again. He kept flying into rages. It was infuriating. I finally gave up, told him we’d discuss it more later and distracted him with other things. Right before your last class finished I had to threaten to hurt myself so he would promise to behave himself.”

“You _what_?”

“I, ah, may have implied that I would wound myself if he attacked you. Something about any injury he inflicted on you I’d give myself the same. I know it sounds bad, but it worked.”

“I do not care what Black or anyone else does, you will _never_ hurt yourself. I thought I had made it clear that that is unacceptable?”

“You did, but..”

“Then I suppose you have earned yourself a punishment.”

“ _What_? I wasn’t actually going to _do_ it!”

“Really? Are you sure you’re being truthful about that?”

They stood there, the boy glaring at him, and him looking just as furious right back.

“Fine, I lied, I would’ve done it, I still would! I care about you, you git.”

“So you _do_ need to be punished.”

The boy glares up at him and pulls himself up to his full height. It might be more impressive if he were clothed. He sits on the edge of the bed and motions the boy closer. Harry grits his teeth but obeys. He places the boy over his lap and holds him tightly with one arm when he tries to get away.

“You will receive twenty swats, you will count them, and you will cease struggling this instant or I shall make it thirty.”

The boy stills. He smacks him hard and reflexively tightens his hold, assuming the boy will resume struggling, which he does. He ignores that and tells him to count. It takes three more smacks and reminding him that they don’t count unless he counts them before he obeys. By the time he’s done the boy’s crying, his bottom is red and both their cocks are hard.

He bends him over the bed and fucks him till the boy climaxes, and then continues fucking him until he himself has climaxed. Before the end the boy is sobbing and begging him to stop, he’s overstimulated and his arse is no doubt burning. He doesn’t care. This is a punishment, it’s supposed to make him suffer.

When he finishes he takes his wand and silently summons a jar of balm. He doesn’t apply it yet though or even let the boy know it’s there. The boy is lying there still bent over the edge of the bed, still quietly sobbing. He gentles him for a few minutes until he calms.

“I want you to swear to me that you will not allow yourself to be hurt if it is in your power to prevent it. I’m not asking for a wizarding vow, I don’t expect you to go that far, I believe your word will prove to be enough. That if you do swear to me, you will abide by that vow. You’re a sentimental Gryffindor after all.”

He waits for the boy to respond. Nothing.

“I swear to Merlin, Harry, you are carrying our child, are you really going to risk _their_ life over some foolishness?”

“What? No, of course not!”

“Then swear it!”

“I...fine. I swear I won’t allow myself to be hurt if I can avoid it. Happy?”

“Not particularly, but if you do, in fact abide by that vow I shall be very happy indeed. Now don’t move, I’m going to heal the damage I’ve done to your arse.”

“You aren’t going to leave it?”

“No matter what you might think, I don’t enjoy seeing you in pain. Hold still.”

The boy still squirmed because it ‘made his arse all tingly’ the little pest. They ended up having dinner rather late and though he’d expected the boy to give him the cold shoulder for at least the rest of the night, the opposite happened. He seemed to overlook the harshness of the punishment entirely, to focus on the concern that prompted it. Sentimental Gryffindors.


	8. Chapter 8

They settled into their routine over the next week. When the weekend comes around Severus finds himself looking forward to shopping for clothes for the first time. He can’t wait to watch his little imp try on clothes all day.

Harry seems to be in two minds about it, happy to have new clothes, but dreading the process required to get them probably.

They decided his lessons could be skipped that day and made a day of it. Shopping in both the muggle world and Diagon Alley. Severus has to reassure him several times that he wants to buy him these things and that he can afford it. His earlier concerns about his home, that had arisen when he first mentioned the lack of clothing begin to gain weight. He does’t like his suspicions.

Because of said suspicions he takes him to many more stores than he’d originally planned and generally spoils him rotten. By the time they return home they have pockets stuffed full of shrunk bags containing clothes but also books and various necessities and trinkets. He’d even strong-armed him into getting new glasses.

When he realized the old pair hadn’t even been the right prescription he was incensed. He decided on the spot that if his suspicions were confirmed he’d whisper a word to Lucius about it. Lucius has always had a soft spot for child abusers. He kept his concern hidden, not wanting anything to mar the boy’s day.

~~~~~~

Days turned into weeks and almost before he was ready, it was Christmas break. Harry had been subtly, at least for a Gryffindor, trying to get him to agree to their visiting the burrow on Christmas Day. He acquiesced in spite of how very much he detests the idea. He was already regretting his weakness.

He was also regretting mentioning that weakness to Lucius. Apparently it isn’t something every alpha feels when they bond. Damn it. He’d put off mentioning it for weeks fearing that might be the case but broke down and asked against his better judgement. And now Lucius keeps laughing at him. Delighting in his misery, the bastard.

At least he’d be away from the little idiots for a while. He wouldn’t even be staying at the castle this year. Now if only he hadn’t agreed to go to the burrow.

~~~~~~

They leave the castle bright and early on the first day of the break. There is something he feels Harry needs to do and he feels it would be best to go just after sunrise. No matter how bleak things may seem in general they nevertheless seem a bit brighter at sunrise.

He side-along apparates them to just outside the town and begins guiding him to their destination.

“Where are we?”

“Godrics Hollow.”

Harry gripped his arm tighter at that, and then pressed closer to his side. He leads him into the cemetery and follows the well known path to her grave. He pulls out the bouquet of lilies and hands it to Harry, who places it on her grave, and then stands there awkwardly.

He asks him if he wants to talk to them and Harry looks at him as if he’s gone mad.

“Well, then you can listen.”

And he speaks to Lily, feeling even more foolish than usual with an audience, but he’d already shown so much of himself to the boy, so what was a little bit more? He tells her about inventing a new potion recently, but couldn’t mention the details because of his audience. He tells her about the new NEWT students who seem most promising, she’d loved potions almost as much as he does. He tells her of the most ridiculous mistakes that had been made in his classes that year. And he tells her all about his beautiful new omega as if he wasn’t listening to his every word. Tells her how much he drives him crazy, and how he keeps finding himself baring all of his secrets, his insecurities, his faults, to the brat. He tells her how much he regrets the way things started between them, how much he wishes she were here to flay him for the way he treated her son. Tells her he’d take whatever punishment she chose to dole out because he knows now how precious the boy is. Tells her he loves him too.

He feels arms wrapping around him and pulling him in and he goes willingly as always. Lets the boy do whatever he wants, because he belongs to Harry as much as Harry belongs to him, now.

“I love you, too, Severus. I love you, too.”

~~~~~~

He feels hollowed out and raw after that little scene and doesn’t know how to act around Harry now that they’re outside of Hogwarts and away from their routine. They go to Spinner’s End. It’s not ideal, but unless he wanted to go house hunting, which he did not, it was this or staying with Lucius. He normally wouldn’t have minded that idea, but since Lucius is still finding amusement at his expense he’d rather not. Besides Harry would be supremely uncomfortable at Malfoy Manor. The boy’s already dreading having to visit the manor.

They end up spending the day on the couch together. Listening to quiet music, reading books to one another, and just generally enjoying one another’s company. It’s good.

~~~~~~

The Burrow is just as loud as he’d feared it would be. Although Bill and Charlie are there and they are surprisingly good company.

He keeps expecting the twins to attempt to pull some prank on him, the longer nothing happens the more on edge he gets, until finally one of them beckons him over to an out of the way doorway. They don’t try to prank him. They ask his advice. He stares them down for a good long while until they finally break and begin fidgeting nervously. He ends up spending an hour hidden away with the twins refining recipes and pointing out flaws in their preparation of ingredients that will cost them potency or shelf life, etc. He enjoys himself more than he thought he would when he agreed.

There is a moment where he almost wrings their necks though. They quickly end up changing their minds about selling love potions, no matter how weak they might be, after he explains to them just what family members of theirs he will imperius to give them said love potions. He describes the acts they might perform under the influence of even a minor love potion, such as theirs, vividly and in detail. By the time he’s done they’re pale and sick looking and they swear off love potions forever.

~~~~~~

When they begin exchanging gifts he finds himself nervous and furious with himself for being so. He gives his gift to Harry while every eye in the room is on them, he wants to curse them all. Nosy biddies the lot of them.

Harry opens the box and pulls out the potions vial. His eyes widen in realization.

“The potion you invented recently! What does it do?”

“It improves eyesight, permanently.”

“What made you decide to do this. I like it, I really do, just, why this?”

He’s very aware of everyone’s gaze upon them. Every ear strained to catch their every word. He scowls at the ones he can see without turning his head. He is honest.

“Because eyes as beautiful as these shouldn’t be hidden behind glass.”

He finds himself with an armful of Harry, again.

“Thank you, Severus, I love it! Can I take it now, or is there a risk it’ll harm the baby?”

“It’s perfectly safe. I had it tested at St Mungos.”

“There are pregnant people willing to risk their babies for better eyesight?”

“The only volunteers were completely blind if that makes a difference. I imagine it would be tempting being able to see your baby at it’s birth. Also if it wasn’t safe to take while pregnant it likely wouldn’t be safe to take while nursing, so really it wouldn’t just be the first moments, but the first months of their baby’s development that they would never get to see.”

The youngest Weasley pokes her eldest brother who is sitting beside her and says in a stage whisper.

“Did Snape just show empathy?”

He ignores them all, Harry is the only reason he’s tolerating their presence whatsoever. The boy take his glasses off and hands them to him and then uncorks the potion, closes his eyes, and knocks it back.

“Oh. Wow, that didn’t taste bad at all. Now if only the potions that you don’t only have to take once tasted this good.”

“Brat, open your eyes.”

The boy reaches out, grasps his arm, and pulls him close. Whispers.

“I want the first thing I see to be you.”

And opens he eyes. He stares at him with wonder, and he feels like he should point out that he has seen him before, but he remains silent. Harry surges forward and kisses him.

They both ignore the whistles and catcalls.


	9. Chapter 9

Their visit to Malfoy Manor, which he had been dreading, he now found himself eagerly anticipating. Harry seems to still be dreading it though.

The anticipation began the day before while they were at the Burrow, when he realized that among the many gifts Harry had received, _none_ were from his family. He didn’t bother trying to tell himself there might be an innocent reason for it. He knows there isn’t.

He’s lived with Harry for just over a month and wants to give him the world, they lived with him for more than ten years and send him nothing? They are obviously terrible people. He’ll whisper their names and address to Lucius and let _him_ deal with them. He’s afraid of what he’d become if he allowed himself to dole out their punishment.

Besides he has Harry to worry about, who is currently trying to tame his hair.

“It’s not going to work, you’re wasting your time, Harry. Don’t worry about it, the Malfoys won’t judge you for it.”

“They won’t?”

Harry looks at him skeptically.

“Of course not, they’ll be too busy judging you for wearing robes three weeks out of style.”

“Git.”

“Brat.”

~~~~~~

They’ve been at the manor for almost two hours and he hasn’t yet managed to get a moment alone with Lucius. Harry clings to his side as if afraid he’ll wind up locked in the dungeons if they get separated. Not that he knows about the dungeons beneath the manor.

He finally gets a moment, almost literally a single moment, when Draco makes the mistake of mistreating a house elf in front of Harry. He whispers the necessary details to Lucius, who looks very pleased by his gift. Then he drags Harry gently away while giving Draco his best disappointed look. He’s lost track of how many times he’s told Draco that attacking those weaker than yourself is the act of a weak man. The foolish boy.

~~~~~~

It isn’t till after they’ve been back at the castle for almost three weeks that they are called up to Albus’ office. Both of them. He knows instantly that Lucius collected his gift.

When they enter Albus’ office they find him looking unusually grave.

“Come in dear boys, and sit. I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news, Harry.”

“What is it, sir?”

“The Dursley’s have gone missing.”

“What? What happened?”

“I do not know my boy, there is no evidence, either magical or muggle, of what could have happened to them. They are simply gone without a trace.”

“That means it was probably someone in the magical world, right? But why would they? Nobody cares about me now that I’m an omega.”

“With no ransom note appearing after they’ve been gone almost a week, it seems we may never know, my boy.”

They left Albus’ office shortly thereafter. When they entered their quarters Harry stopped him with a palm to his chest.

“Did you have anything to do with their disappearance?”

He wasn’t expecting that. He’d been so careful. Never once asking Harry about his relatives or his home life. He’d thought Harry would never suspect him. He hasn’t lied to the boy in weeks and wasn’t planning to do so again but...the possible repercussions of either telling him the truth or of lying fly through his head faster than lightning. He doesn’t know what to do. If he tells Harry the truth he might be furious at his actions but if he lies and Harry knows or even simply suspects he’s lying that might very well infuriate him just as much. As well as lose him his trust. Fuck.

“Yes.”

The whispered word is out before he can rethink his choice. He waits for judgement.

“Why?”

Harry’s voice is blank, void of emotion, he can’t tell what he’s feeling. He’s never before seen him mask his emotions. It scares him more than anything else could.

“They, I don’t know precisely what they did, or how they treated you. I’ve had my suspicions for a while. You had no nice clothes and when I took you shopping you seemed to struggle with the idea of my spending money on you more than was reasonable. I made excuses at first. Pushed my suspicion aside, but you never once mentioned them, you have no communication with them, you never expressed any desire to contact them. You panicked when you realized you hadn’t told your godfather about the situation but nothing about the people who raised you. And then when we were at the Weasleys I realized they’d sent you nothing for Christmas.”

“Why is that such a big deal? You saved that for last, why?”

“Because I had lived with you for only weeks and wanted to, want to, fulfill your every desire. They lived with you for years and gave you nothing! I knew then that they were terrible people who deserved to suffer.”

“What did you do?”

“I gave their names and address to Lucius.”

“Just that?”

“He has a soft spot for child abusers. It was a sort of Christmas gift.”

“By soft spot you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

“He likes to torture them, to make sure they suffer torment similar to what their victims suffered.”

“Dudley is the same age as me. Are you telling me he’s being tortured?”

“No, Lucius would have transferred him to a family in another country, one that will treat him fairly have no fear. Lucius would never harm a child.”

“Well that’s something, I guess. I cannot believe you would do this though. You don’t even feel the slightest bit guilty, do you?”

“No.”

“Why? How can you, just, how?”

Severus reaches out and presses his hand onto Harry‘s stomach.

“Imagine for a moment that it was our child who experienced whatever you did at their hands. Would you not also want to see them suffer? Would you have the restraint to do what I did and pass along that temptation to another knowing that if you yourself were to allow yourself to loose your rage upon them you might lose yourself in the process?”

“You cannot always use our baby as emotional blackmail, Severus.”

“I’m not trying to, I am merely saying you are precious to me and whenever you are hurt, by whomever it may be, I will make that person suffer.”

“You cannot go around torturing anyone who hurts me!”

“ _Can’t_ I? At any rate, I do not need to, so long as everyone _believes_ I will do so.”

“And everyone knows better than to piss off Severus Snape. Still, Severus, this is wrong, you can’t do this. I want you to go to Lucius and make him release them and promise me you won’t do this again.”

“How bad was it?”

“No. You aren’t going to use that as your excuse not to listen to me on this.”

“That’s not what I am getting at. I sent Lucius after them thinking they might’ve simply neglected you and failed to love you as they should, but I can’t help but think it was probably much worse than that, and if it was then Lucius will have already mangled them beyond anyone’s ability to save.”

“Severus...”

“I take it that’s a yes? Then it is done.”

“I don’t understand you!”

Severus looks at him. He fears this moment might break them, might already have broken them.

“My mother did not tell my father she was a witch until after they were married and she with child. He hated her for lying to him, for being a witch. He became a drunk and he beat her. When it became clear I was magical...he did not hesitate to take his anger out on myself as well. I grew up hating both my parents, my father for being an abusive drunk and my mother for allowing him to hurt us both when she could have stopped him with a single word. She died before I left Hogwarts, weakened and frail from a lifetime of beatings. He died after I joined the Dark Lord, a gift from him.”

“I...I don’t know what to say.”

“I am glad that your own abuse didn’t harden you as mine did me. Our child will learn a gentle touch from you better than they ever could from me, please, even if you no longer want me in your life at least allow me to know our child.”

“Severus, I’m not going to leave you over this, I just, where do you draw the line? You had no proof of the Dursley’s having hurt me and yet you made sure they would be tortured and killed. I’m worried about someone doing some minor injury to me and you deciding they need to die for it!”

“Lucius would not have taken them if they were not abusers. We have had this system for years. I give him a name or names and a location, he investigates. If he finds proof of wrongdoing he takes them and has his fun with them. No innocents are harmed in the process.”

“Why didn’t you say that earlier?”

“I thought it was obvious. You’ve met Lucius, that man is more self serving than any other, do you really think he would risk his political career torturing people unless he felt very passionate about it?”

“That still doesn’t make it right, and of course you won’t promise not to do it again, right?”

“Of course not. I have a feeling if you ever find yourself face to face with someone who hurt me as much as those vermin hurt you, you will find yourself behaving in ways you currently consider monstrous. Although I hope for your sake that you do _not_ find yourself in such a situation.”

“We will be discussing this more later, but for now, I just need to think for a bit.”

“I understand.”

Harry turns to leave and he finds himself clutching the brat close and whispering into his ear.

“I love you.”

It’s the first time he’s said it directly to him. Harry whispers the same back and then leaves. He leans against the wall and wonders if he shouldn’t have capitulated. If he should’ve told Harry he wouldn’t do so again, but the mere idea of it. Of anyone hurting someone he loves again. He already lost a sister he will not lose his lover or his child. He knows he would not survive it.


	10. Chapter 10

The following days were agony, he portrayed a calm front at all times but inside, he was a boiling maelstrom of competing emotions. Guilt, over the fact he’d hurt Harry. Anger, at himself for potentially ruining the one truly good thing he’d ever had. Despair, pretty much the same as the former.

Harry spent those days avoiding him, Albus and those few who knew his family were missing no doubt thought he was simply worried about them, or mourning their assumed deaths. But he knew better and every time he caught a glimpse of Harry’s unhappiness he would begin berating himself again.

He slipped further into depression each day that passed. After a week he no longer spoke at all outside of classes. He and Harry both ghosted through their quarters ignoring the other’s existence. It was easier that way. At least for him. He no longer knows what Harry is thinking.

He wakes up the morning of the ninth day after the fight and finds the bed beside him once again empty. He goes through his new morning ritual. He teaches his classes. He sits in a chair in the living room and stares at the wall. Seeing nothing. Feeling nothing. He goes to bed alone.

He wakes up the morning of the tenth day. Harry beside him in bed. He hesitates for a moment but shakes it off, tells himself there’s no way Harry has changed his mind, he’s obviously just more tired than usual that is all. His day is much the same as the day before.

Day eleven goes the same as the days before until lunch time. He hasn’t eaten in the Great Hall since this started. Lets Harry have that. Doesn’t want anyone else to see the bleeding wound in his chest and they would if they saw the two of them together.

He’s sitting on his chair staring at the wall. He’s begun skipping meals, has no appetite anymore.There comes a knock on the door. He gets up mechanically to answer it. Not bothering to wonder who it is, doesn’t care.

It’s Weasley and Granger. He stares blank faced for a moment, thinks maybe they’re here for Harry. Harry could easily be here and him not have noticed after all. He’s gotten very good at that. He lets them in. Ignores them after that. Goes back to staring at the wall.

He’s startled when they sit down across from him, begin speaking to him.

“We're here to ask what happened, Professor.”

He stares at them and ignores Granger’s implied question. It’s none of their business.

“Look Snape. I don’t know what your problem is but I will not let whatever this is kill my best mate.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He’s wasting away Professor, he hasn’t eaten a proper meal in at least a week! He won’t talk to us and tell us what’s wrong. We’re worried about both of you, in fact. When’s the last time you ate a proper meal?”

He gives her an unimpressed look.

“I know you care about Harry so I’m sure you’re worried about him, but it isn’t just him that’s being affected by this, stress isn’t good for a pregnancy. He could miscarry. Please Professor, tell us what happened.”

‘It’s to do with his relatives, right?”

He stares unmoving at them. He considers telling them the truth. Maybe they could make Harry see reason.

“Harry’s my best mate and I want to see him safe and happy, sir, so I’m just going to come out and ask. Did you kill them?”

He stares at the boy, wondering what he knows, what he suspects.

“Why would I do that, Mr. Weasley?”

“Before second year when he didn’t answer any of our letters we ended up going to his house to see if he was alright. We had to break bars off his window to rescue him. But that wasn’t all, all his school things had been locked in the cupboard under the stairs. Fred and George had to pick the lock and grab his trunk and while they were doing that they saw a sign, drawn on the wall, it said Harry’s room. And the room we broke him out of had a bunch of locks on the door and he had been locked in and there was a cat flap built into it. They fed him through a bloody cat flap.”

By the end Severus was shaking with rage and at risk, for the first time in over twenty years, of losing control of his magic.

“And why, Mr Weasley, did you not say anything until now?”

“Well, he tried to go to Dumbledore about it but he made him go back. He kept making him go back. I wouldn’t have put it past him to try and make him go back next summer if they were still there!”

That bore thinking about. He couldn’t send Lucius after Dumbledore but perhaps he could design an untraceable poison. Finally something worth doing.

He focuses back on the Gryffindors to find them having a staring match with one another.

“It’s horrible, I agree, but that doesn’t make it right to kill them, Ron!”

“Doesn’t it though?”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Harry has never mentioned the Dursley’s very often but when he does it’s some offhand remark that leaves you scared for him, Hermione, and you know it. After second year when he’d killed a giant basilisk and saved the school I said something about his family being proud of him and he laughed and said they’d just be disappointed he came so close to dying and didn’t manage it.”

Hermione shifts guiltily.

“I didn’t think he meant it, when he said things like that.”

The Weasley boy turns to him and gives him a complicated look.

“I know you probably aren’t going to admit it aloud but, they suffered first, right?”

An expression of smug satisfaction flits across his face before he can think to prevent it.

“Good.”

“Oh Professor, no wonder Harry’s been miserable. He wouldn’t want someone to hurt someone for him. He probably feels guilty knowing him.”

“Why would he feel guilty for the actions of another Ms. Granger?”

“Because they wouldn’t have been hurt if it wasn’t for him. He blamed himself for a while for Cedric’s death. I never said it was logical, sir.”

“Indeed.”

He considers the situation through this new lens. Still doesn’t see a way to pull Harry back to him. He spends all day when he isn’t busy teaching, and a bit of the time when he is, thinking it over. He makes a decision. Hopes he won’t come to regret it.

~~~~~~

That night Severus is still awake, staring into the dark of their room, when Harry comes trudging quietly in and begins readying himself for bed. He feels the bed move beside him. He makes his move.

“I learned an interesting thing today, Harry. Apparently Albus forced you to go back to your relatives, in spite of your protests. The moment I learned this I knew I could not ask Lucius to take care of it for me, so I began planning to create a new undetectable poison. Began ruminating over possible ingredient combinations at once.”

“I want you to know this so that you also know that I am not going to do so. It has come to my attention that if I were to do this you would feel guilty for my actions. I do not wish to be the cause of your guilt. Therefore from now on I swear to you I will only harm others when they are a direct threat, to you or our child, to the children of this school, or to myself.”

Harry turns the lights on with a word and he turns from staring at the ceiling to see him looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

“How do you know about Dumbledore?”

“Your friends came to talk to me during the lunch hour.”

“I never even noticed they weren’t in the Great Hall. I haven’t noticed much of anything these past few days though. You truly mean it?”

“I do.”

“I’m sorry, Severus, I know you’ve been unhappy with me avoiding you, I just, I needed some time.”

“I know.”

“But I hurt you.”

“And I you, Harry. I apologize as well, I am truly sorry for whatever pain I caused you with my selfish desire for vengeance.”

“Shh, I forgive you, Severus, and I love you.”

“And I you, Harry.”

He opens his arms and Harry burrows into his side and wriggles till he’s comfortable. He holds Harry almost tight enough to hurt, committing the feeling to his memory. Although he hopes he’ll never need it, he vows to himself he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he stays right where he is. They sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

After that things between them did not return to the companionable coexistence they had shared previously. They changed. Subtly at first, but steadily. They had long since lost all awkwardness around the other but now there was a new level of intimacy. Severus found himself the recipient of soft touches and began reciprocating without, at first, realizing it. They began spending more time together, so much so that he soon found himself spending time with Harry’s friends as well. They were tolerable outside of the classroom, in it, he still often wanted to strangle them both. 

Where before he had continuously berated himself for his weakness around Harry, he now found such thoughts unthinkable.

~~~~~~

The days turned into weeks and Severus noticed quite suddenly one evening while they were in the bath that Harry’s stomach was not as flat as it had been before. He breathed in sharply and tentatively rubbed his hand across the slight curve of his stomach. Harry looked up at him with soft eyes and a mischievous smile.

“I thought you’d never notice.”

“Brat.”

He’d begun wearing the bracelet only days before and found himself continuously focusing on the gentle pulse at his wrist. Needing constant reassurance whenever they were apart that Harry was fine, the baby was fine. It was maddening in it’s own way but better than the alternative. Before he’d worn it he had been twice as distracted. With no way of reassuring his paranoid mind that his fear was unwarranted.

Harry reaches out and takes his wrist into his hand, wrapping his fingers around the bracelet, and they both lay there in the bath discussing the future with said future’s hummingbird beat drumming against their skin.

~~~~~~

They decide to go house hunting. Harry felt Spinner’s End could be made to suit, but Severus found the idea intolerable. He hated that house so much his old memories would taint the new as they were being made. He slyly suggested they raise the child in Privet Drive and Harry understood instantly. So, house hunting.

They spend the next few days days discussing what they each felt the house should be. Those things they each need to feel most happy in a home. Severus’ being a potion’s lab and library, Harry surprises him by agreeing about the library, but insists a large garden is essential. And three bedrooms. Severus has a feeling they’ll be having a second child sooner rather than later. He doesn’t hate the idea, at all.

It takes weeks before they find the perfect little cottage with a nice large plot of land. The moment they see it Harry’s eyes light up at the sight of the grounds and Severus knows this is the one. Harry feels at home here already, he can tell, and he feels at home too, because he’s with Harry.

~~~~~~

He begins to worry about the Dark Lord’s plans and how they’re going to influence his future with Harry. Harry will need to move into the cottage soon to raise their child in their home and because of his spying he’ll still be stuck at Hogwarts. The thought of being separated is intolerable. He wishes they had some semblance of a feasible plan to kill the Dark Lord. He begins to seriously attempt to design an undetectable poison. It couldn’t hurt.

~~~~~~

Not long after he is called in to see Albus. The man tells him a ridiculous tale of an orphan boy who had never received the care he needed. A young man so terrified of death and of being forgotten that he created soul anchors. Plural. He listens to all appearances stoic. But inside. Inside he is raging. Screaming his lungs out at the unfairness of it all. Harry, his precious irreplaceable Harry, is a horcrux. He knows that Albus must know this as well. Neither mention it, but it is there, an invisible weight in the air of the room, choking them. He stares into the eyes of a man he once respected, and waits for the damning words to fall from his lips. They do not. Albus what? Expects him to walk away and allow Harry to be killed? He knows the man is mad, but this is a whole new level of madness. He is going to need to spend every second of his free time designing the new poison. Albus cannot be allowed to spread this information to others.

~~~~~~

It doesn’t take long for Harry to wonder at the feverishness with which he works on his newest project. He wishes he could bring himself to lie.

“It is a poison. It needs to be undetectable, and preferably able to be aerosolized.”

“And just who are you planning on poisoning?”

“It was originally meant for the Dark Lord.”

“But now?”

He stares into Harry’s eyes begging him to understand that this has to happen. There is no other way.

“Dumbledore.”

Harry looks baffled.

“You said you’d given that up. I know you didn’t lie about it or you’d just lie again now. What’s this about?”

He closes his eyes. Reaches for Harry and folds him into his arms. Whispers the damning words into his ears.

“Albus wants you dead. He believes you need to die for the Dark Lord to fall. If he spreads that belief to others...I said I wouldn’t harm anyone except in defense of us, this _is_ in defense of us. I will not allow that bastard to condemn you to death.”

The boy is shaking. “Why? Why would he think I need to die?”

“Because you are a horcrux, a soul anchor. As long as you are alive you keep the Dark Lord tethered to this life.”

“Then I do need to die.”

“No. There is another way, a badly brewed batch of draught of the living death would keep him insensate for the rest of his days. We could track down the other horcruxes, because you aren’t the only one, destroy them all and wait. The man can live, sleeping, unable to harm anyone, until you die of old age. Then our children will kill him. You do not need to die. Albus is merely too callous to care that there is another way. He prefers the simple method even if it means your death. I will kill him, I will stop the Dark Lord, and I will keep you by my side. Tell me you understand, Harry. I want you to say it. That there is another way and that that is the method we shall pursue.”

“I don’t want to die, Severus, I was only going to consider it to protect you and our child. Of course we will try your plan. I can’t believe Dumbledore is being so heartless.”

“The man is worried about the safety of a nation. I only truly care about your safety.”

He presses his hand to Harry’s stomach feeling the bump there, swearing to himself that he will let nothing happen to them.


	12. Chapter 12

The days began to pass more quickly than Severus was comfortable with. He was getting nowhere with his poison. Every time he felt like he was getting close another problem with the formula would arise. Harry, seeing how frustrated he was becoming had started to try and help as best he could. Doing whatever small things he could to lighten his load. It helped but it wasn’t enough. Nothing was or could be until Albus was dead. Every night he would wake from nightmares, pulse pounding, breathing sharp and quick. He’d find himself holding Harry tightly to assure himself that he was alive, that he was safe. But the problem was he didn’t know that for sure. Albus could have already told someone. And he suspected the man was only waiting for his child’s birth to kill Harry, every day he came that much closer to losing him. It was unbearable. 

~~~~~~

Finally there was a breakthrough, there was only one problem. He would need to ask Black for his help. The things he does for Harry. He couldn’t even bring himself to grumble properly about it. Harry is worth the trouble.

He flooed to Grimmauld and used a spell to track the man down.

“Black, I need your help.”

The mutt looked at him startled and then panicked.

“Is Harry alright? What happened?”

“Harry is fine. I would hardly come to you if he wasn’t. I need the saliva of a currently transformed werewolf.”

Black looks disgusted and suspicious.

“Why?”

He stares at the man for a long moment. Wondering what, if anything, is safe to tell him.

“What did Dumbledore say to you weeks ago when you enquired about Harry’s classification?”

“Nothing but bullshit. I don’t know what the man is playing at but he seemed perfectly fine with the idea of Harry being killed or at any rate abused. He masked it with his usual grandfatherly concern, but I grew up in a family of Slytherins, I know how to listen for what isn’t being said.”

“He believes Harry needs to die to defeat the Dark Lord.”

“He _what_?!”

“If I do not kill the man soon he will spread the idea around.” He closes his eyes unable to bear it. “Harry will die. I need the saliva of a transformed werewolf in order to prevent that. Will you help me?”

“The next full moon isn’t for weeks!”

“I know, but it is the only ingredient that will work. Unless you have another plan to kill the man this is all we have.”

Black goes thoughtful, surprising Severus. He watches half hoping, half feeling like a fool for doing so, for the man to come out with an idea. If the mutt can come up with something...

“Snape, have you considered using a house elf?”

Well looks like the mutt is still mad. He knew he was being a fool. He gives him a look of disgust.

“Yeah, I know. Nobody thinks of house elves as dangerous, no one considers them a threat. I’m not talking about having one poison his food or something, no doubt he takes precautions, but you could have one just kill him. You have no idea what’s it has been like living here with Kreacher. Every time I’m in the same room he gets a glint in his eye and I know he’s trying to figure out a way around my orders. That little bastard is going to eventually find a way to kill me without violating orders. I talked to Harry about them the other day. He had a house elf helping him in second year, you know? The little bugger almost killed him in the process of trying to save him. You should ask Harry about him, I really think he’ll be able to help. But about the saliva, I’ll get you as much you need from Remy this next full moon.”

The man is mad, but he’ll ask Harry anyway.

~~~~~~~

Later that night he finds Harry pouring over catalogs trying to decide what furniture to get for the nursery.He simply watches him for a long moment. Drinking in the way the boy is chewing on the end of his quill, unable to choose between three different cribs.

“Having trouble deciding?”

“Oh hey, you have a good day?”

“Mm. I talked to your godfather, he said something about an elf whom you are acquainted with?”

Harry smiles broadly.

“Dobby, yeah, he’s weird but he’s a good friend. So long as he’s not trying to protect you.”

He raises an eyebrow, silently demanding an explanation. He gets one.

“How could he convince the ministry that you cast that magic? That doesn’t make sense. And I looked at that bludger myself and couldn’t find any traces of a spell on it. Maybe Black was right, as much as I hate to admit it, if house elf magic is that different from our own...”

Harry nods thoughtfully and then looks at him quizzically.

“Right about what exactly?”

“He thinks I should use a house elf to kill Albus. Perhaps your friend Dobby would be able to do something rather than wait for the saliva I need.”

Harry smiles slightly sadistically.

“Considering how close Dobby came to killing me while trying to save my life, Dumbledore doesn’t stand a chance. Just make sure you tell him Dumbledore wants me dead. He won’t like that, at all.”

~~~~~~

He summons the house elf. Dobby is something else. He follows Harry’s advice and tells the elf exactly why he wants Dumbledore dead. He makes sure the elf understands that while it is important that they kill Dumbledore, it is equally important that he not get caught. Harry would never forgive him if something happened to his eccentric little elf friend. Dobby is overcome at his concern, and he begins to see Harry’s point. No one should be this grateful over being treated like a person. Dobby assures him he can handle Dumbledore and he tries to believe that it could really be this easy.

~~~~~~

Two days later he’s in the middle of brewing a new batch of potions for the hospital wing when there’s a knock at his door. He casts a quick stasis charm over the potions and answers it.

It’s one of his prefects with a second year Slytherin. He listens to their tale, inspects the second year’s hand, and goes to find Harry.

“Did you know that Umbridge has been using a blood quill on students?”

“I didn’t know what it’s called, but yeah. Why?”

Severus pinches the bridge of his nose. He will not shout at the boy, he will not.

“You knew students were being tortured and you didn’t think to tell me? Considering the way you reacted to your relatives torture I would never have expected this of you.”

“I thought you knew. I tried to tell McGonagall but she wouldn’t listen and I got the impression she already knew what I was going to say. I thought everyone knew.”

He narrows his eyes at Harry, he has a feeling...

“Did she use it on you?”

The boy nods grimly.

“You realize this falls under the exception to my promise not to harm others? She is harming the students, which means I can hurt her if it is required to protect them.”

“You’re planning to kill her?”

He simply raises an eyebrow at him.

“Fine, just, don’t torture her first, alright? That isn’t necessary.”

He nods. He wasn’t planning to anyway. Looks like he already has a new use for that poison.


	13. Chapter 13

That same night Severus is just going to fetch Harry from the library, he always loses track of the time lately, to get him to come to bed with him, when there’s a quiet pop.

“Dobby is having a plan, sir.”

“Yes..?”

“You is needing to have an alibi.”

Severus sucks in a breath, Two days, it took the elf two days, he can’t believe it. He’s been worrying about this for months.

“What is your plan?”

Dobby shakes his head at him.

“There not being time, sir. You is needing to move.”

Severus stares at the elf for a single moment. Harry trusts him, he will too.

“Harry.”

Harry comes into the room and he gestures for him to come with. They head to the staff room where Severus knows the staff have been having extra meetings late at night to discuss things they don’t want Umbridge knowing about. They slip into the room where the staff are currently discussing the latest educational decree. At a break in the conversation Minerva turns to him, her eyes softening at the sight of Harry.

“Severus, what brings you here this evening?”

“I’d like to know why no one felt the need to inform me that she has been torturing the students.”

He stares her down as she closes her eyes and sighs, he knows it isn’t an act, but he’s still furious with her. With them all. He’s glad of the ready made excuse to be here at this time, but also wishes that they had told him. He could have prevented so much suffering if they had.

“You know why.”

He glares at her.

“You truly believe it would not be justified?”

She glares right back.

“It isn’t about justification. We don’t want to see you in Azkaban, Severus.”

He’s just opening his mouth to retort when he feels a calming hand on his arm. He turns to Harry.

“She has a point, Severus. I cannot honestly say that I mind the idea of you poisoning her, but there are other considerations here.”

He feels Harry press his fingers gently on the bracelet on his wrist. Now who’s engaging in emotional manipulation. He sighs.

“Nevertheless...”

He gets no farther because a house elf pops into the room wailing, diverting everyone’s attention. They all simply stare for a moment.

Poppy is the one who jumps into action, always calm in any situation. She soothes the old elf and soon has her speaking intelligibly.

The room erupts into chaos.

~~~~~~

It’s hours later before they are able to return to their rooms. They sit on the couch in silence for a moment. Trying to process the events of the evening.

“I cannot believe Dobby managed that.”

Severus glances at Harry. He looks a bit shell-shocked.

“That house elf is disturbingly resourceful. I find myself very glad he is not our enemy.”

Harry laughs.

“But to make it look like Umbridge killed him. He’s a genius. She’ll be in Azkaban for weeks before they figure out she’s innocent.”

“If they even give her a proper trial. She might end up rotting away for something she didn’t do. A fitting punishment for someone who tortures children.”

Harry surprises him by nodding. He raises his eyebrow at him.

“It’s not that I didn’t agree that she needed to be stopped. I wanted to kill her myself. But just because I want something doesn’t make it right. And I just. I don’t want either of us to become someone who doesn’t care about harming others. We need to try to be better than that. I want us to be better parents than those who raised us. Also it scares the hell out of me the idea of you even being suspected of something like this. I don’t trust the ministry not to leave you in Azkaban despite your innocence. I love you, you git.”

He pulls Harry close and just holds him.

They eventually get to bed, much later than usual, and for once he pulls Harry close before Harry has a chance to tuck himself into his side. He sleeps peacefully for the first time in a long while. He knows they have another enemy to face, but for this night, he feels like they are safe.

~~~~~~

Severus is surprised by how little Hogwarts changes at first in spite of the new Headmistress. He knows she has many plans for the future but for the moment things simply shift back toward what they were before the damned educational decrees.

He’s surprised and immensely disappointed when the Dark Lord wants him to remain a teacher at Hogwarts regardless of Dumbledore’s death. He’d hoped to be able to retire to his cottage with Harry. He’d also hoped to avoid having to pretend to be saddened by the old fool’s death.

He throws himself into making plans for the defeat of the Dark Lord. Decides since Dobby was so effective once already to include him in the planning. The look on Dobby’s face when he tells him the Dark Lord is currently staying at Malfoy Manor is both disturbing and relieving. They make plans upon plans. He’s at times pleased by the elf’s strange ideas of problem solving and at other times...well he finds himself tamping down the elf’s more dramatic plans.

He decides to continue on with brewing the poison. It should have a long shelf life and he has had enough of not having a ready made solution to his problems. He has a feeling he’ll need it sooner rather than later.

~~~~~~

The end of the school year draws close. Severus is both looking forward to it and dreading it. He’ll be at the cottage with Harry. He’ll be on call at all times for the Dark Lord.

Harry on the other hand is too excited for words. He’s already planning to spend every moment gardening. When he isn’t fretting about making sure the nursery is perfect anyway.

“We need to plant an oak tree in that field near the stream. I want our children to have a nice tree to climb and all of the trees are too small. I know they take forever to grow but we can replant one with magic, right?”

“Of course. Whatever you want, Harry.”

The boy is only half listening. His eyes trained on the book in his lap. He walks over and leans over the back of the couch to see what it is.

“You’re reading about names? When did you start that?”

The boy looks up at him startled. Hadn’t even noticed he’d moved.

“Oh, Hermione gave it to me yesterday. You were busy brewing when I got back so I forgot to mention it. I don’t know what to do about a name. I mean I don’t want to saddle the kid with a name they end up hating. Names are important.”

He looks so worried about this and Severus can’t help but wonder why.

“This means a lot to you. What has you so scared?”

“Tom Riddle. He hated his name so much. I know a lot of that was because it was his ‘filthy muggle father’s’ name but, I can’t help wondering what sort of man he would’ve become if he hadn’t hated his name so _very_ much.”

“I doubt the Dark Lord’s name made that much of a difference.”

Harry shrugs at him.

“But we don’t know for certain. I’m not worrying that our child will become a mass murderer. It’s just...names are important. I want to get this right.”

He’s not sure how to handle this. Harry constantly drags him into conversations and situations he’s not prepared for. The brat.

“I think the most important thing we can do is listen to our child. We’ll do our best to name them and when they are older and can decide for themself if their name fits. We listen.”

Harry looks more thoughtful and less anxious now so he supposes he didn’t manage to fumble that too badly.

“You know, we don’t even know what sex the baby is yet.”

Harry smirks at him.

“Ah, but I’ve been cheating by focusing on gender neutral names.”

“Brat.”

Harry laughs and the last of his own tension melts away.


	14. Chapter 14

They arrive at the cottage with Dobby accompanying them. Severus’ mind kept circling around the fact that when he went back to Hogwarts after the summer Harry would be alone for much of each day. Unacceptable. He’d considered having Harry stay in their quarters at Hogwarts for now, but Harry hated that idea. Now that he has a home he wants to live in it. Severus almost regrets buying it, almost.

Dobby is thrilled about his new job, he’s been even more excitable than usual. Severus tries to be annoyed about this fact, but the mad little elf is growing on him. Damn it. He’s growing soft, he blames Harry.

The first few days are spent trying to get everything settled to Harry’s satisfaction. He’s nesting something awful and insists on rearranging the furniture in the nursery no less than six times. Severus finds himself complying every time, unable to deny him, even when he starts rearranging things back to the way they’d been before. He grumbles under his breath, rolls his eyes, and does whatever the boy asks. Definitely going soft.

~~~~~~

It isn’t until the eighth day that the event he’s been dreading occurs. His mark burns. He informs Harry, and he goes to see what his Lord requires of him.

~~~~~~

He gets back late that night to find Harry waiting for him. They sit on the couch and Harry curls into his side.

“You alright?”

He nods. He wonders how much he should say, how much Harry really needs to know. It won’t change what will happen. He doesn’t want him knowing about any of this. But Harry will want to know. Shit.

“He’s moving on the ministry soon. They’re going to be creating a registry of all muggleborns. I do not yet know what they will do with the knowledge, but I don’t imagine it will be pleasant. There was talk of muggleborn omegas. I think...I think they’re planning to use them as broodmares. To strengthen the old families. The ones who are willing to sully their bloodlines at any rate.”

Harry looks just as horrified as he feels. He’s never liked the practice. Even the most traditional of purebloods have stopped treating their omegas that way in recent years. He had hoped the practice would die out. He thinks of Lily, if she had ended up claimed by an alpha like that...

“Fuck. We need to stop this before it gets anywhere. If we wait until after they take the ministry...things might not return to the way they were before. The ministry has enough problems as it is. We can’t let them change it for the worse.”

“I know.”

They sit in silent contemplation for a while. Worrying about the future. Turning over plans.

“We should sleep, Harry, tomorrow will be soon enough to begin planning in earnest. We will prevent this. We will.”

They climb into bed together and he wraps his arms around Harry like he usually does. Rests his hand on the rounded stomach and feels movement. Harry gasps and clutches his hand.

“Did you feel that too?”

“Yes.”

They lie there waiting until there’s another small movement. And Harry breaks the silence.

“Tomorrow, we come up with a workable plan tomorrow. We can’t put this off any longer.”

He hums his agreement and they both drift off to an uneasy sleep.

~~~~~~

The next morning they don’t even wait till after breakfast to begin planning.

Harry and Dobby both flutter about the kitchen preparing breakfast while he pours over a blueprint of Malfoy Manor and the list Lucius provided of it’s wards strengths and weaknesses. They discuss the various possibilities as they eat.

“What we need most is an opportunity for you to be alone with him, or alone with him and Lucius. You’re not going to be able to take him out with a crowd of death eaters around him. Unless...”

“Hm?”

“That poison you created, how fast acting is it? And would a bezoar save someone who had breathed it in?”

“What are you thinking?”

“You could wait till the next full meeting, you and Lucius could just happen to be late to it. You release your poison into the room, wait till they’re all on the point of death, and save his life. We can’t have him dying on us, but his death eaters?”

He blinks. Harry just suggested they murder a crowd of people? What the hell?

“Harry, you don’t usually advocate murder.”

Harry closes his eyes and breathes deeply. He reaches down and cups his stomach.

“We won’t be safe even with his death though. His death eaters will still be a threat. Are there any, other than yourself and Lucius, whom you wouldn’t want killed?”

Ah. Now he understands. That first evidence of their child’s impending birth unsettled them both. He supposes he has a point.

“No, I can’t think of a single one. They are all too callous, too cruel, too crazy to ever be safe for others to be around.”

Harry nods as if that decides the matter.

“Then will it work?”

“It might. I will have to discuss it with Lucius before I can be entirely sure...but it should work.”

“When do you think the next meeting will be?”

“He announced it last night. This coming weekend.”

“And you have enough of the poison to fill the whole room?”

He smirks at the boy.

“Harry, I made enough I could disperse it throughout all of Hogwarts and kill every person in it.”

Harry surprises him by laughing.

“Of course you did. You are so overprotective, I swear. I’m tempted to scold you for it, but I’m beginning to understand.”

He watches the boy rub his stomach again. Yes, he can see where that might be the case.

~~~~~~

He asks Lucius over for a visit the next day. Tells him their plan and asks if he can help them enact it.

“Oh that won’t be a problem, and none too soon either. That bastard has been hinting subtly about marking Draco. I’ve been having a hard time not simply strangling him. I understand why he has to remain alive but, I want to see him dead. Or at least suffering. Not sleeping for a lifetime.”

“I know how you feel, Lucius. I can’t imagine what it’s been like with him living in your home.”

Lucius laughs a little darkly.

“Honestly, I like having him in my home. I’ve always believed in keeping my enemies close. And I know if the man ever decides to kill me it won’t matter how far away I am.”

“Mm.”

They turn to discussing the plan in detail with Harry and Dobby putting in their opinions and ideas.

~~~~~~

That night with their plan in place and nothing left to worry about other than it’s successful execution, they relax. They take a long bath together and then he has Harry lie on the bed. He gives him a massage while Harry groans indecently under him. He’s tempted to fuck the boy, but they’ve had a long day. He whispers in his ear that he’s going to fuck him in the morning and Harry groans even louder. He continues massaging the boy until he falls asleep. He lays down as well and they both sleep better than they ever have before.


	15. Chapter 15

The day of the meeting arrives. Severus is both nervous, so many things could go wrong. And thrilled, they are so close to being safe, or as safe as anyone can ever be.

If this works he’ll be able to retire. Unless Minerva can’t find a replacement. He doesn’t have enough friends to abandon one who needs him. He’s hoping desperately that she won’t.

He spends the morning sitting with Harry. They don’t eat breakfast. Nerves wound too tight. They just sit and talk quietly of the future they hope they have after today. This waiting is torture.

~~~~~~

Finally the hour approaches, he gives Harry one last, hopefully not truly the last, kiss. And then departs.

He arrives at the Manor and makes his way to Lucius. They stand in an unused sitting room and wait. Lucius counting the disturbances to the wards. Trying to decipher when everyone will have entered the meeting room.

Lucius glances at him and then Dobby who is standing beside them. Dobby pops out. Then, just moments later, pops back in.

And they wait. For four agonizing minutes. They wait.

Severus gives Lucius a nod, and they move. They protect themselves with bubblehead charms before entering the room where the gas is contained. Considering how well this worked Severus is never entering a room he doesn’t trust without checking for containment wards.

Inside the meeting room a few of the death eaters must have figured out what was happening and tried to make for the door. Unable to apparate out thanks to the manor’s wards. Most are grouped at the center of the room. They’re lying on the floor, most lying still, a few still groaning in pain.

Severus walks past or over them to get to his target.

The Dark Lord is sprawled next to his chair, still breathing. Thank the gods. He shoves a bezoar down his throat, using magic to ensure it goes down. He waits. The Dark Lord begins to breath more easily and he tips a perfectly brewed flawed batch of draught of the living death down his throat.

It’s done. He clears the air from the room and summons Dobby. Has him pass the message to Harry. Then he simply stands and stares. It doesn’t feel real. It couldn’t be this easy could it?

He glances at Lucius.

“You know, I have no idea how to dispose of this many bodies. Perhaps a giant pyre?”

He laughs. Lucius does so as well.

~~~~~~

In the end they do build a giant pyre and they all watch the bastards burn. Harry nursing a glass of pumpkin juice and grumbling about not being able to drink alcohol for months yet.

~~~~~~

He talks to Minerva the next day. Tells her the truth, mostly, no one needs to know the Dark Lord isn’t quite dead. She’s thrilled he will be able to retire and swears she’ll find someone to fill his post. They end up playing chess and drinking for hours. Celebrating the Dark Lord’s death and looking ahead to the future.

He goes home slightly tipsy and he and Harry spend the evening celebrating in their own way.

~~~~~~

It takes three weeks but eventually Minerva does find a replacement. Severus breathes a sigh of relief. Now that they know they don’t have to get everything done before the end of the summer he hopes Harry will calm down a little. He’d been getting more affectionate as the end of summer drew closer. Which wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the reasoning behind it. When he tells Harry about his retirement Harry is thrilled and declares they need to celebrate this as well.

“Getting rather insatiable aren’t we? I remember you complaining once that all we did was have sex.”

“I didn’t complain, I only asked if we could do something else as well. We do other things together now. So there’s nothing wrong with having more sex.”

He can’t argue with that. They spend the rest of the day in bed.

~~~~~~

He finally has the option to devote as much time as he desires to creating new potions and spells. Within reason, Harry would soon put a stop to it if he neglected him. The insatiable little brat. He pours himself into his brewing, creating new potions and perfecting existing ones. He also devotes a few hours each day to brewing potions that he can sell for a, usually ridiculous, profit. Trying to put aside as much as he can now. Later once the baby is born he’ll be devoting more time to his family rather than brewing.

~~~~~~

Times flows on and Harry grows positively huge, not that he tells him that, he’s also grown hormonal, Severus does not have a death wish. He begins worrying constantly about potential complications with the pregnancy. Anything could go wrong. He’d thought he was done worrying, damn it. They’ve defeated every enemy they had, Umbridge did end up getting a trial but since the public somehow found out about the blood quill, she’ll never be getting out, he had hoped for a stress free life from now on. Maybe after Harry’s given birth. But probably not. Shit. After he gives birth he won’t be able to feel the baby’s heartbeat continuously. He’s going to have to do something about that. Maybe a new bracelet, one for each wrist tied to each of them, so he always knows they’re safe. Something like that anyway so he doesn’t kill himself with the stress.

Things used to be so much less stressful before he’d claimed Harry, more lonely though. He supposes it’s a decent trade off.

~~~~~~

Harry goes into labor and he is positively terrified. Why did he do this to himself? If only he’d been satisfied with Harry alone he wouldn’t have to worry about potentially losing them both. He knows Harry wants another child but he’s not sure he can go through this again. What was he thinking?

And watching Harry suffering is killing him as well. Damn everything. He hates this so much. Harry squeezes his hand harder and he grits his teeth, not from the pain, but from the knowledge of how much pain it means Harry is in. He hates this.

Then there’s a cry and the healer telling him that she’s fine and he’s fine. They’re all going to be fine. Fuck. It’s a girl. He has a daughter. Fuck, he’s not going to cry. He’s not.

“She’s perfect, isn’t she?”

He looks down at his family. Harry looks like he’s in awe and his daughter...

“She is.”


	16. Epilogue

Severus is standing behind Harry arms wrapped around him, one of his favorite places to be, watching their children climb up into the treehouse they insisted he build for them. Dobby standing below watching like a hawk in case they should fall. He’s always been good with hover charms.

He whispers in Harry’s ear.

“You know while they’re distracted we could...”

“Now who’s the insatiable one?”

“Are you complaining?”

“No, but it’ll be time for lunch in less than an hour, seeing as we don’t want to have to explain we missed lunch because your knot hadn’t gone down yet...”

Severus sighs.

“Fine but after lunch we send them off with Dobby again for an hour or two.”

Harry laughs.

“It’s not like Dobby will complain, I could almost swear he loves them more than we do.”

“He just enjoys having accomplices, likes encouraging them in their hooliganism.”

“Still grumbling about that?”

“It took two hours to clean up the mess, two hours.”

“You’re just upset ‘cause you were scared they’d been hurt. And it wasn’t Dobby’s fault. He was just as worried as you were. Why had those ingredients been left out anyway? You’ve always been so careful about that.”

“Lucius flooed in just as I was accepting the package and distracted me. He was panicking about Narcissa again, I almost regret giving the man the new fertility potion, if I’d known he’d panic over every little thing...”

“You’d have given it to him anyway. You’ve gone soft in your old age.”

“I am hardly old, which I’ll prove to you after lunch. But, yes, I probably would have. The man’s wanted more children for years, I might never have even designed such a potion if it weren’t for him. Still to panic so much over a little spotting. You’d have thought she was dying. He had summoned a healer as well, he didn’t need me even if something _had_ been wrong.”

“Sounds like you. You worried so much when I was getting close to the end of both of my pregnancies.”

“That may be, but I didn’t inconvenience anyone else with my worries.”

“Did you tell him about what happened?”

“No, no point making him feel guilty. It’s my own fault. I shouldn’t have let him distract me. Next time I’ll be more careful.”

Harry nods and they fall back into silence. Simply watching their girls play. Harry tilts his head to the side, glancing at him.

“I hope this one’s a boy, I mean I love our girls, but I’d like to have a boy too. I don’t know if I told you but I overheard them talking the other day and they’re already planning to convince us that their new sister, if it ends up being a girl, should room with them. Can you imagine? The three of them working together, plotting against us, we won’t stand a chance.”

“As if we stand one now. The only reason you’re pregnant at all is because they convinced us. I just hope they’re satisfied after this. Or we’ll have to build a new room.”

“It’s not like you took much convincing. I’m just surprised you didn’t suggest it yourself.”

“Brat.”

“Git.”

Harry tilts his head further and kisses him and Severus finds himself grateful, not for the first time, that he claimed the beautiful boy.


End file.
